China said on Tuesday that it hoped its friendly relations with Ukraine would continue to develop.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks at a regular press briefing when commenting on Ukraine's presidential election result.

Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich beat incumbent Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Sunday's presidential runoff by a small margin, according to preliminary official results released Monday.

"We have noticed the latest election developments. As a country that has friendly relations with Ukraine, China hopes Ukraine will maintain political stability and economic development," Ma said.