Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on winning Pakistan's presidential election and promised that China would maintain its "all-weather friendship" with its neighbour and long-term ally.

"China and Pakistan are friendly neighbours that are joined by common mountains and rivers, and the peoples of the two countries have developed an all-weather friendship," the government's Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying in a message of congratulation to Zardari.

"In the new historical period, China is willing to join hands with Pakistan to carry forward the traditional friendship," Hu said.

He said China wanted to "promote the Sino-Pakistani strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, and to be good neighbours, good friends, good brothers and good partners forever".

The two nations "support each other and hold close coordination" on international and regional affairs, Hu said.

Zardari, 52, secured 481 of the 702 electoral electoral votes on Saturday to become Pakistan's 14th president since the state's foundation in 1947.