BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Leji, China's top legislator, and Jussi Halla-aho, speaker of the Finnish parliament, on Tuesday exchanged congratulatory messages on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that the Finnish parliament was among the first in Europe to establish friendly exchanges with the NPC, and that Halla-aho paid a successful visit to China in April.

Zhao said that he looks forward to continuing efforts with Halla-aho to enhance exchanges and mutual learning between the legislative bodies of the two countries, strengthen mutual understanding between the two peoples and jointly lift China-Finland relations to a new level.

For his part, Halla-aho said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Finland-China relations have expanded into a wide range of areas, including trade, education, science, environmental sustainability and cultural exchanges.

Maintaining bilateral cooperation, he said, will bring common benefits to both countries and help create a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for their peoples.