'Yang Jiechi has already sent a telegram to Senator Hillary Clinton... congratulating her on her nomination as US secretary of state,' foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement.
Mr Yang, China's foreign minister, also sent a message of congratulations to Mr James Jones, the former Nato chief who was picked as US national security adviser.
'Foreign minister Yang... looks forward to working together with them to promote the further development of constructive, cooperative relations between China and the United States,' Mr Liu said in the statement.
US president-elect Obama announced the nominations late on Monday. -- AFP