The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Afghan embassy in Beijing jointly held a reception Tuesday to celebrate the 55th anniversary of China-Afghanistan diplomatic ties.

Addressing the reception, CPAFFC President Chen Haosu hailed China-Afghanistan relations, highlighting their increasingly frequent exchanges in various fields and deepened friendship between their people since the establishment of the new Afghan government in 2004.

China and Afghanistan forged diplomatic ties on Jan. 20, 1955.

According to Chen, the Afghanistan-China Friendship Association was reorganized in 2009 and the restructuring of the China-Afghanistan Friendship Association will be finished this year.

The reorganization of the two associations would further promote the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and strengthen the friendship and understanding of their people, said Chen, adding that the CPAFFC would make more efforts to boost China-Afghanistan friendly cooperation.

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi said the bilateral relations had been comprehensively developed in different areas over the past 55 years.

"In all these years, China, as a good neighbor and historical friend, was along with us and has supported the people of Afghanistan in all aspects," said Mohammad Kabir Farahi, adding that Afghanistan attaches utmost importance to the friendly relations with China.

More than 100 people from both countries including Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Hu Zhengyue and Afghan Ambassador to China Sultan Ahmad Baheen attended the reception.