President Xi Jinping called on Malaysia on Friday to align its development strategy with the Belt and Road Initiative to boost bilateral ties.

Xi made the remark during an exchange of congratulations with Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In his message, Xi said China and Malaysia are close neighbors and important cooperative partners.

Since they established diplomatic ties, relations between the two countries have become firm and unshakable, with fruitful outcomes generated from pragmatic cooperation, Xi said.

They have brought tangible benefits to the two peoples and made positive contributions to the stability and development in the region, he added.

Both countries are at a crucial period in their development, Xi said, and bilateral cooperation has broad prospects. He said he considers Sino-Malaysian ties highly important and expressed hope that the two countries, taking the joint building of the Belt and Road as an opportunity, would strengthen synergies between their development strategies to inject new content into the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership, and add new momentum to regional development.

The Malaysian king said his country is happy to see the fruitful bilateral ties over the past 45 years, as well as the deepened friendship between the two peoples. Malaysia looks forward to sustained prosperity and development of the countries' relations to benefit the two peoples, he said.

Premier Li Keqiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad also exchanged congratulations on the Friday anniversary. They vowed to expand practical cooperation.