Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory message to the opening of the 15th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s Islamic Summit Conference in Banjul, capital of The Gambia. Xi pointed out that the OIC is a symbol of the unity and independence of Islamic countries, and has made important contributions to strengthening cooperation among Islamic countries as well as safeguarding international fairness and justice, Xinhua reported. China and Islamic countries are good friends and partners with a long history of friendship, he said, noting that in recent years, China and Islamic countries have supported each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation, and continuously upgraded their friendly relations, setting a good example of the South-South cooperation.