President Xi Jinping and his Mongolian counterpart, President Khaltmaa Battulga, hailed the development of China-Mongolia ties as they exchanged New Year's greetings.

Bilateral ties made progress in 2019, as the two countries celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Their cooperation in various fields has seen fruitful results, Xi said in his message, which was released on Friday.

Xi said that when Battulga paid a state visit to China and attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in April, the two leaders had an in-depth exchange of views and reached many important points of consensus, which serve as important political guidance for bilateral ties.

Xi emphasized that he attaches great importance to the development of ties and hopes to work with Battulga for new progress in the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership during the coming year.

In his message, Battulga said ties between the two countries have developed comprehensively.

Both respect each other's development path, interests and concerns and are committed to regional security and development, Battulga said, adding that he hopes to work closely with Xi.