BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Bidhya Bhandari on her inauguration as Nepal's first female president.

In a message dated Friday, Xi said that China has always respected and supported the Nepalese people in independently choosing their own social system and development path.

Under the leadership of Bhandari and the Nepalese government, Nepal will start a brand-new journey of development, said the Chinese president.

Saying that China attaches great importance to developing relations with Nepal, Xi pledged to work with Bhandari to further advance the development of China-Nepal comprehensive partnership of cooperation.