President Xi Jinping pledged China's firm support on Tuesday for Syria in its efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity as he sent a congratulatory message to Bashar al-Assad on his reelection as president of Syria.

In his message, Xi noted that China and Syria enjoy a traditional friendship, and Syria is one of the first Arab countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of relations with Syria, and he is willing to work with Assad to use the 65th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations this year as an opportunity to work toward greater outcomes in China-Syria ties.

China will do its best to help Syria fight the COVID-19 pandemic, revitalize its economy and improve public livelihoods in order to continue elevating the bilateral cooperation to a higher level, he said.

Assad won a fourth seven-year term with 95.1 percent of the votes during an election on Thursday. Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, as Syrian president in July 2000.