President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Mr Xi Jinping, on his emergence as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Chairman of the country's Central Military Commission and President-Designate.

The President's message is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.

He applauded and commended Jinping, outgoing President Hu Jintao, and the Communist Party of China, for the orderly transfer of power to a new generation of leaders to lead China.

The president said he looked forward to working with Jinping and China's top governance organ, the Politburo Standing Committee, to strengthen existing cordial relations between Nigeria and China.

He said he expected that under Jinping's leadership, the already robust trade and economic ties between both countries would continue to grow for the benefit of the people.

Jonathan said that the Federal Government would continue to count on the support of the Chinese government for its developmental efforts in areas, such as infrastructure, power, transportation and communication.

He wished Jinping immense success in the discharge of his enormous responsibilities, as leader of the People's Republic of China.