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Wang Yi to visit Sri Lanka from 8-9 January
30 Dec, 2021
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to visit Sri Lanka from January 8 to 9, 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said today.
During the visit, Wang Yi will launch the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations.
The Chinese Embassy said that?Colombo will be the last stop of his first foreign visit in the new year.
Wang will visit Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros from Jan 4-7 and from there he will travel to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing in Beijing today (Thursday)
The foreign minister?s visit to the two South Asian countries come at the 50th anniversary of China-Maldives diplomatic relations, 65th anniversary of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact between Colombo and Beijing, Zhao said.
Signed in 1952, the Rubber-Rice Pact was a trade agreement between Lanka and China under which Colombo supplied rubber to Beijing in exchange for rice, leading to the establishment of diplomatic relations and expansion of trade between the two nations.
Wang?s visit to Male and Colombo is regarded as significant in Beijing as China seeks to stabilise its influence in both the countries acquired through massive investments for over a decade, much to the concern of New Delhi. (Colombo Gazette)
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