Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 12 extended congratulations to former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on his election as German president.

In a congratulatory message, Xi said China-Germany relations has entered a stage of high-level development featuring close high-level exchange and increasingly deepened cooperation in various fields.

Enhanced cooperation between China and Germany will not only be in the interest of promoting the well-being of both the Chinese and German peoples, but will also be conducive to promoting world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.

Xi expressed the willingness to work with Steinmeier to jointly promote the China-Germany all-around strategic partnership toward the achievement of better development.

German Federal Assembly on Feb. 12 elected Steinmeier as new president, succeeding Joachim Gauck who has decided not to run for a second term.