China seeks to elevate bilateral relations with Sri Lanka to a higher level

China is seeking to elevate bilateral relations with Sri Lanka to a higher level, the Prime Minister’s Office in Sri Lanka said today.

The Government of China congratulated Prime Minister-elect Mahinda Rajapaksa and his party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, for winning the parliamentary election and assured its support to elevate bilateral relations with greater development.

The Charg? d?affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Hu Wei, met with Rajapaksa at Temple Trees and passed on a congratulatory letter from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China expressing heartfelt congratulations to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Party for winning the general election.

?As China-Sri Lanka relations are presented with important new opportunities for further advancement, the CPC stands ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the SLPP to build a new type of party-to-party relations that seeks to expand common ground while reserving differences and enhances mutual respect and mutual learning, in a joint endeavor to elevate our bilateral relations to a higher level with greater development,? the letter has said.

The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the key areas of cooperation between the two countries in the next stage, as well as the key projects of the ?Belt and Road? between China and Sri Lanka, such as the port city of Colombo and the comprehensive development of Hambantota.

Rajapaksa has requested that the work on the Port City be expedited and to consider collaborating on drinking water and irrigation projects. (Colombo Gazette)