Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday exchanged congratulatory messages with his Costa Rican counterpart, Laura Chinchilla, to mark the fifth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Hu said the relationship between China and Costa Rica has been developing steadily over the last five years thanks to joint efforts.

High-level exchange of visits has been frequent and political mutual trust has been strengthened, Hu said.

The two sides have conducted fruitful cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, finance, culture, education, science and technology, and maintained good communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, the Chinese president said.

China attaches great importance to advancing ties with Costa Rica, and is ready to work with the Latin American country to promote mutual understanding, deepen cooperation in all areas, and push forward the friendly cooperative ties with Costa Rica to a new stage, he added.

Chinchilla said Costa Rica-China cooperation in politics, economy and trade, education, culture and technological innovation has broad prospects.

She pledged to continue to boost dialogue and cooperation with China within multilateral and regional frameworks and make contributions to promoting world peace and security.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also exchanged greetings with his Costa Rican counterpart, Enrique Castillo.