BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday congratulated incumbent Bolivian President Evo Morales for his victory in Sunday's presidential election.

"Bolivia is an important country of Latin America," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a regular press conference.

Morales won a landslide victory in the presidential race after delivering eight years of uninterrupted national economic growth in which the number of people living in poverty has been much reduced.

Since China and Bolivia established diplomatic relations 29 years ago, bilateral relations have seen smooth development, featuring close high-level contacts, effective pragmatic cooperation and sound coordination in international and regional affairs, said Hong.

President Morales attaches great importance to relations with China and has paid three visits to China, pushing forward the development of bilateral relations.

Hong said China values the friendly and cooperative ties with Bolivia and is willing to work with Bolivia to strengthen all-round exchanges and cooperation, so as to boost the development of bilateral relations.

Exit polls showed that Morales garnered some 60 percent of the vote, far ahead of his closest opponent, Samuel Doria Medina, who won 24 percent.

Victory means that Morales would lead the country until 2020 in his third consecutive term as president and become the longest serving president to rule the Andean nation.