BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Czech President Milos Zeman via video link on Monday.

Xi said that over the past 10 years, he and President Zeman have met and talked many times, and exchanged in-depth views on bilateral relations and experience in governing their countries, and upgraded Chinese-Czech relations to a strategic partnership.

"We have jointly promoted bilateral economic and trade relations and personnel exchanges," Xi said, noting that Czech exports to China have nearly tripled, and that in 2019, the number of Chinese tourists to the Czech Republic increased 250 percent from 2013.