PANAMA CITY, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Han Changfu on Monday attended the Panamanian presidency handover ceremony.

Han, China's minister of agriculture and rural affairs, met respectively with Panama's President-elect Laurentino Cortizo and outgoing President Juan Carlos Varela on Sunday.

During the meeting with Cortizo, Han delivered a congratulatory letter signed by Xi and conveyed Xi's sincere congratulations and good wishes.

China, Han said, regards Panama as a firm friend and a trustworthy partner and would like to lift China-Panama relations to a new level under the leadership of the two heads of state.

For his part, Cortizo asked Han to convey his sincere regards to Xi, noting that Panama will stick to the one-China principle and promote the steady and healthy development of bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect.

When meeting with Varela, Han conveyed Xi's cordial greetings and lauded Varela's historic contributions to promoting the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

For his part, Varela said that he will continue to work for the Panama-China friendship after leaving office, voicing hope that the two countries will make new achievements in bilateral cooperation.