Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao spoke highly of the development of friendly ties on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. A statement published by the Malian presidential office noted that Malian-Sino relations have steadily developed and witnessed a new impetus under the leadership of the two presidents. 'For the past 50 years, Sino-Malian relations have experienced constant growth and continued consultation on political, regional and international issues,' President Toure affirmed in a message to his counterpart in China. 'I want to deliver our sincere gratitude to the government and people of China for the assistance they continue to give Mali in infrastructure, agriculture, health, education and human resource development,' the Malian president added. He holds confidence in the Forum for Sino-African Cooperation (FOCAC), which is a platform for consultations and collective dialogue between China and the African countries. FOCAC offers a chance for the two governments to work closely in order to consolidate the achievements of many years of fruitful cooperation, the Malian leader said. 'Mali was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to establish diplomatic relations with the new China. For half a century, the Chinese and Malian peoples have shared both good and bad times. This has been made possible by the sincerity and deep friendship that both countries have shown to each other. Cooperation in all areas has brought about fruitful and abundant results for both nations,' the Chinese president said in his reciprocal message carried by the Malian press. Hu said both Mali and China share the same status of developping countries and that they are now at a crucial development stage. 'China attaches great importance to Sino-Malian relations and commits to work closely with Mali to reinforce friendship and promote pragmatic cooperation to bring more benefits to our citizens,' President Hu said. On the occasion to mark the anniversary, the two countries' top diplomats Moctar Ouane and Yang Jiechi exchanged congratulatory messages as well. 'China and Mali share identical opinions on issues of international development and south-south cooperation and the Sino- African cooperation is a solid platform for strengthening this exemplary cooperation,' Ouane said in his letter. 