PRETORIA -- President Xi Jinping's special envoy Hao Mingjin attended the inauguration ceremony of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa here on Saturday.

Hao, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China and chairman of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, met with Ramaphosa after the inauguration.

Hao conveyed Xi's sincere congratulations and good wishes to Ramaphosa and delivered him a signed letter by Xi.

Hao said the two heads of state exchanged historic visits in 2018 and charted the course for the development of the China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership.

China is willing to strengthen its strategic coordination with South Africa and promote bilateral cooperation in various fields, Hao said.

For his part, Ramaphosa thanked Xi for sending an envoy to attend his inauguration and asked Hao to convey his warm greetings to Xi.

Ramaphosa said the relations between South Africa and China are special, and that he and Xi share the common mission of creating a better life for people in their respective country.

Ramaphosa also said he looks forward to working with Xi to plan and create a new era for bilateral relations.