President Tony Tan Keng Yam has written to Chinese President Xi Jinping to convey his best wishes on the occasion of the 66th anniversary today of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also written to Premier Li Keqiang to congratulate him.

In his letter, Dr Tan said China's steady economic development has contributed to the peace and stability of our region and the world. "I am confident that under your leadership, China would continue to make great strides," he told Mr Xi.

Dr Tan said this year marks an important milestone as both sides commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

"Besides our Government-to- Government projects in the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-city, our multifaceted partnership includes cooperation in areas such as human resource development, financial services, social governance and sustainable development. People-to-people ties between our two countries continue to be close," he wrote.

Dr Tan said he looks forward to welcoming Mr Xi and his wife on their first state visit to Singapore later this year.

In his letter to Mr Li, Prime Minister Lee said ties have grown from strength to strength in the last 25 years. "We now enjoy a substantive and mutually beneficial relationship, with close cooperation across a broad range of sectors. Today, Singapore is China's largest foreign investor and China is Singapore's largest trading partner."

Mr Lee said there is also close cooperation in other areas, including the training of officials, social governance, urbanisation, financial services and eco-development.

"To enhance our bilateral cooperation, we are now working towards the upgrade of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and exploring a third Government-to-Government project in China's Western Region," Mr Lee noted.

He said he looks forward to working closely with Mr Li to bring the bilateral relationship to new heights.