BEIJING, May 30 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday exchanged congratulatory messages with his Barbados counterpart, Freundel J. Stuart, to mark the 40th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his message, Li said China-Barbados relations have maintained a good momentum of development in the past 40 years, with mutual political trust constantly enhanced and economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges yielding great results.

The two sides have maintained close coordination on international and regional issues and worked jointly to safeguard the interests of developing countries, Li said.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Barbados and is willing to take the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties to work with the Barbados so as to bring the friendly partnership to a higher level, the Chinese premier said.

Meanwhile, Stuart said in his message that Barbados-China relations are based on mutual respect and a shared goal of realizing national development and improving people's welfare.

The two countries have maintained frequent high-level contacts for years, noted Stuart, adding that bilateral communication has been fruitful and the scope of cooperation has continuously expanded.

Barbados is committed to strengthening its partnership with China, increasing bilateral interactions and deepening their mutually-beneficial cooperation, said the Barbados head of government.