BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday congratulated Sri Lanka on the 68th anniversary of the founding of country.

In a message addressed to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Xi said that China-Sri Lanka relations, with a long history, have grown ever stronger and that both peoples have benefited from friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Xi recalled that during President Sirisena's visit to China in March 2015, the two sides reached many agreements on the further development of bilateral relations in the new situation.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to China-Sri Lanka ties and that he is willing to work with President Sirisena to further promote the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Li, in a message to his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ranil Wickremesinghe, also called for deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries and expanding practical cooperation so as to benefit the two peoples.

China-Sri Lanka relations, which have witnessed healthy development, serve as a good example of good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries, said Li.

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, won independence on Feb. 4, 1948. It was renamed the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in 1978.