In a message to Megawati, Jiang extended his "heartfelt congratulations and best wishes."

He said China and Indonesia are friendly neighbors and the two peoples have enjoyed profound friendship. In recent years, bilateral relations have entered a new era of rapid development and remarkable achievements have been scored in cooperation and exchanges in various fields.

China and Indonesia, both developing countries, have lots of common interests, and there is a great potential for cooperation, said the Chinese president. He expressed the hope that mutually beneficial cooperation could be pushed further ahead through joint efforts.

In a separate message to Megawati, Zhu said it is China's firm policy to develop good-neighborly relations with Indonesia.

He said he was happy to see that the development of bilateral relations has gained momentum in recent years and that cooperation in such fields as politics, economy and trade, culture and tourism has been strengthened.

Zhu pledged to work with Megawati to further push ahead the cooperative relations between the two countries.

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan also sent a congratulatory message to his Indonesian counterpart, Hasan Wirayuda.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2002)