Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday pledged to continue strong ties with China.

In a message to mark the Chinese New Year, President Sirisena noted the importance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Sri Lanka last September and affirmed that ties between Sri Lanka and China will continue at a strong level during his tenure.

Sirisena was sworn in as the new president on Jan. 9 after beating the former president in a presidential election.

Sri Lanka and China share excellent relations which have stood the test of time. It is an all-weather friendship based on mutual respect, the president said in the statement.

“Looking back at 2014, I am pleased that the historic state visit to Sri Lanka of Chinese President Xi Jinping in September last year has provided us with the opportunity to further elevate our robust relationship and deepen the strategic cooperative partnership in a manner beneficial to our two countries and peoples,” he said.

The president went on to say that Sri Lanka, as a close friend of China, has always celebrated the efforts that China has spearheaded in bringing prosperity and well-being to its people.

“2015 is the ‘year of the goat’ according to the Chinese Zodiac. This will be a year for enhancing relationships for further development,” the president said. – Xinhua