“Sri Lanka and China are ushering in a new chapter in bilateral relations,” Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said in an interview with Xinhua.
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Dissanayake was on a state visit to China from Tuesday to Friday, his first trip to China since taking office in September as Sri Lankan president.
“I first visited Beijing in 2004. Returning after 20 years, I see a tremendous transformation,” Dissanayake said.
Over the past 68 years since establishing diplomatic ties, China and Sri Lanka have deepened their strategic cooperative partnership through sincere mutual assistance and lasting friendship.
Following their talks on Wednesday, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents in such areas as Belt and Road cooperation, agricultural products, social welfare, and the press, radio and television.
Dissanayake said that Sri Lanka is currently facing several challenges, including poverty reduction, technological advancement and infrastructure development, and China can play a significant role in supporting Sri Lanka in overcoming these challenges.
“I observed that the Chinese government is people-centered and attentive to public needs. Similarly, Sri Lanka’s new government is also dedicated to serving its people,” said the 56-year-old president.
Dissanayake applauded China’s poverty alleviation achievements. “China’s poverty reduction experience is a global model and has been praised by the United Nations. Sri Lanka has much to learn from China’s experience,” he said, highlighting his plan of field trips to rural areas in China to learn firsthand how local farmers have overcome poverty.
Dissanayake was also impressed by his visit to the Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which shows how China, led by the CPC, has overcome challenges and achieved its current success. “The exhibition holds great significance not only for the Chinese people, but also for us as it offers new perspectives on development,” he said.
Over the years, Sri Lanka and China have made steady progress in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Chinese enterprises have constructed ports, highways, railways, hospitals, water conservancies and power facilities in Sri Lanka, significantly improving its infrastructure and investment environment while boosting local employment.
China is a major trade partner for Sri Lanka, a leading source of imports and foreign investment, and a key provider of development assistance.
The Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port are landmark projects of the Belt and Road cooperation between the two sides. “These two projects will undoubtedly bring long-term economic benefits to Sri Lanka,” Dissanayake said.
Industrial parks would be developed around Hambantota Port, and Colombo Port City would attract more investment, greatly improving the living standards of the Sri Lankan people, he said.
Debunking Western media’s disinformation that China is creating a “debt trap” and militarizing Sri Lankan ports, Dissanayake said, “Global South countries need development, which cannot be achieved without external investment and loans. We cannot view such assistance as a ‘debt trap’.”
Looking ahead, Dissanayake expressed hope of attracting more Chinese enterprises to invest in Sri Lanka and more Chinese tourists. Currently, China is Sri Lanka’s fourth-largest source of tourists.
To further boost tourism, Sri Lanka has launched tourism promotion campaigns and streamlined visa application processes, and it is planning more direct flights to attract Chinese tourists.
“Sri Lanka and China are both nations rich in cultural heritage with a long history of people-to-people exchanges. I believe Chinese tourists will have a wonderful time in Sri Lanka,” said the president.
Source: Xinhua
--Agencies
