BEIJING, Jan. 8 -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Thongloun Sisoulith on his reelection as general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said that since the convening of the 11th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the party's Central Committee has united and led the Lao people in actively exploring a socialist development path suited to the country's national conditions, overcoming difficulties and pressing ahead, and having scored a series of important accomplishments in advancing party building, developing the economy, improving people's livelihoods and expanding external exchanges.

The successful convening of the 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party is highly significant for building on past achievements and opening up new prospects for the development of the party and the socialist cause in Laos, Xi said.

Xi expressed the hope that, under the strong leadership of the central committee with Thongloun at its core, the party and people will remain united and continue their efforts to fulfill all goals and tasks set forth by the 12th national congress, continuously make new advances in Laos' socialist cause, and press forward with resolve toward the party's centenary goal in 2055.

Xi noted that China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors connected by shared mountains and rivers. In recent years, through joint efforts, China-Laos relations have entered their best period in history, with the endeavor to build the strategically significant China-Laos community with a shared future steadily deepening and becoming more tangible, yielding a series of fruitful results, he said.

Xi said that in the new situation where the regional dynamics are deeply interconnected with global changes, he stands ready to work with the General Secretary to strengthen the strategic guidance for the development of China-Laos relations, promote the traditional friendship between China and Laos, deepen the exchange of experiences in party governance and state management, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and drive the China-Laos community with a shared future toward a high-standard, high-quality and high-level goal.

This will bring greater benefits to the people of both countries, better serve the development of the socialist cause, and make new contributions to promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world, he added.