China on Tuesday congratulated Hakainde Hichilema, the opposition leader of the United Party for National Development, on his election as the new President of Zambia.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Zambia is a long-standing friend and important cooperative partner of China. For 57 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have been deepening political trust and achieving fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation, she said.

"We have firmly supported each other on issues concerning core interests and major concerns," she said, adding that China looks forward to working with the new Zambian government to elevate the friendly and cooperative relations to a new stage and deliver benefits to the two peoples.

Hichilema, a 59-year-old businessman, who had lost in five past elections, captured a convincing 58 percent of the vote in the Zambian election, compared with 37 per cent for incumbent President Edgar Lungu in official results that were announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia in the early hours of Monday morning.