The Special Envoy of the Chinese government, Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei attended the power handover ceremony of Uruguay President on March 1, at the invitation of the government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

Chen conveyed Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao's greetings and best wishes to Mujica and extended congratulations to the new president on behalf of the Chinese government during the meeting with Uruguay's newly inaugurated President Jose Mujica after his inauguration ceremony

Mujica asked Chen to convey his regards to President Hu and Premier Wen and thanked the Chinese special envoy for attending his inauguration.

The presence of a Chinese envoy is a manifestation of the Chinese people's deep friendship toward the Uruguayan people, said the president.

He said the new Uruguayan government values relations with China and will continue to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and promote bilateral ties to new levels.

Chen said since the establishment of diplomatic relations 22 years ago, ties between China and Uruguay have been developing smoothly.

The Chinese government is ready to work with the new Uruguayan government to further develop the friendly cooperative bilateral relationship, he added.