China and the Dominican Republic should accelerate the development of bilateral ties and transform the visions for bilateral cooperation into more concrete outcomes, President Xi Jinping said on Friday.

During a meeting with Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, Xi said China is willing to work with the Latin American country to seize every chance to enhance bilateral ties.

Before the meeting, Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Medina, who is making his first state visit to China. The two countries established diplomatic ties in May after the Caribbean nation severed "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan.

Xi said that even though the two nations have only recently established diplomatic ties, their hearts have long been connected.

Medina's decision to establish ties with China is in keeping with the trend of the times, and by doing so he made friends with more than 1.3 billion Chinese people, Xi said.

China has one more good partner that upholds mutual respect, equal treatment and win-win cooperation, he said, adding that the decision will be proved by history and facts to be utterly right.

The two sides should step up top-level political guidance and lay a solid foundation for the long-term stable development of relations through adherence to the one-China principle, Xi said.

Through the joint building of the Belt and Road, the two nations can promote cooperation in various areas with better coordination and planning, the president said.

Xi also extended his welcome to Medina for his attendance at the China International Import Expo, which will be held in Shanghai from Monday to Nov 10.

Medina said the people of the Dominican Republic have always had a favorable view of China and admired the tremendous achievement of its development, especially its success in lifting several hundred million people out of poverty.

The country is willing to further develop its friendly ties with China and the friendship between the two peoples, Medina said. It also looks forward to cooperating with China in areas including trade, infrastructure construction, energy, electricity and tourism, he added.