BEIJING — Premier Li Keqiang on Nov 1 sent a congratulatory message to Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on his taking office as Iraq's prime minister.

In the message, Premier Li noted that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of China-Iraq relations and is willing to work with the Iraqi government to continuously consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, enhance pragmatic cooperation in various fields and promote the China-Iraq strategic partnership for new progress.