Chinese President Xi Jinping met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Beijing yesterday and discussed issues of core interests.
China is willing to work with Sri Lanka to consolidate traditional friendship, expand reciprocal co-operation and push forward strategic partnership of cooperation to a new high, Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
He urged the two countries to integrate development strategies, maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, and handle bilateral relations from a long-term and strategic perspective.
Wickremesinghe echoed Xi saying the strategic partnership of co-operation featuring mutual support and long-lasting friendship was in the interests of both Sri Lanka and China.
It was also a consensus of all political parties in Sri Lanka, he said.
The Sri Lankan leader appreciated the positive role played by China in promoting global economic stability and growth and thanked Beijing for its long-term assistance to Colombo.
With regard to bilateral cooperation, Xi said the two countries should take the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to deepen cooperation in trade, infrastructure, industrial parks, manufacturing and technology.
China will positively consider helping Sri Lanka build health projects and was ready for more cooperation in areas such as tourism, education and culture, Xi said.
He also vowed to strengthen communication and coordination with Sri Lanka under the frameworks including the UN, the Asean Regional Forum and the South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (Saarc).
The Sri Lanka leader said Sri Lanka was willing to strengthen co-operation with China within the Saarc.
Wickremesinghe will conclude his official visit to China today.
Earlier, China called for fast-tracking negotiations with Sri Lanka over the $750mn second phase of the Hambantota port.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, during talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe, said both sides should speed up the negotiations on the second phase operation of the Hambantota port in the southern part of Sri Lanka. The first phase was completed in 2014 at a cost of $361mn.
Li said the port will give Sri Lanka full play to its geological advantage to become an important international logistic hub. The second phase of construction is expected to cost over $750mn.
Hambantota, the home of former president Mahinda Rajapakse, aims to service ships travelling along one of world’s busiest shipping lines - the east-west shipping route.
When the three phase project is completed, it will become the biggest port on South Asia with 4,000 acres of service area with provision to accommodate 33 vessels at a time.
The scale of the project evoked concerns in India that it could be part of China’s ‘string of pearls’ strategy to corner India.
China, which has been building various ports in different countries including Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan, has denied having such a strategy.
During their meeting yesterday, Wickremesinghe and Li also discussed the construction of an industrial park in Hambantota.
Li also welcomed Sri Lanka’s decision to lift ban on the construction of the Chinese funded $1.5bn Colombo Port City Project.
China will work together with Sri Lanka to push forward resumption of the delayed construction of the port city project in Colombo, Li told Wickremesinghe.