Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have respectively sent congratulatory messages to Chinese President Hu Jintao for becoming the chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Sunday.

Hu's new status as China's military leader showed the trust of the Chinese people and their recognition of his outstanding capability as a leader, Musharraf said in his message on Thursday.

Musharraf expressed his confidence that the friendship between Pakistan and China cannot be shaken, and that his country is willing to further develop the bilateral cooperation of mutual benefit.

In his message on Tuesday, Koizumi, also president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, hoped to boost Japan's friendly cooperation with China under the leadership of Hu. He expressed the wish that stronger bilateral ties will be forged through the broadening of common interest.

Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president of China, succeeded Jiang Zemin as chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the Fourth Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee, which concluded in Beijing Sunday.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2004)