PANAMA CITY -- At the invitation of Panama's government, President Xi Jinping's special envoy Yu Jianhua on Monday attended the presidential inauguration ceremony of Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino.

During the ceremony, Mulino met with Yu, also minister of the General Administration of Customs of China.

Yu conveyed Xi's warm congratulations and best wishes to Mulino, saying that since China and Panama established diplomatic ties seven years ago, bilateral relations have developed rapidly and yielded fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to their people.

China is willing to work with Panama to enhance political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, push for sustained and in-depth development of bilateral relations, and bring more benefits to the two peoples, Yu said.

Mulino thanked Xi for dispatching a special envoy to attend his inauguration ceremony and asked Yu to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to Xi.

Panama attaches great importance to developing relations with China, and is willing to further deepen cooperation with China in various fields and elevate bilateral relations to higher levels, Mulino said.