Chinese, Sri Lankan FMs exchange congratulations on 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris on Monday exchanged congratulatory messages on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

Wang said in his message that China and Sri Lanka have always shown each other mutual understanding and support, setting a good example of friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of different sizes. The two countries have worked together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the spirit of mutual assistance since its outbreak, enhancing their traditional friendship. The two countries are now seeking further alignment of their development strategies and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, so as to inject impetus to the post-pandemic economic recovery.

Wang said he paid a successful visit to Sri Lanka recently and jointly launched celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Rubber-Rice Pact. Both sides agreed to carry forward the tradition of solidarity and mutual assistance, deepen China-Sri Lanka practical cooperation and expand shared interests of the two countries.

Wang said he is ready to work with Peiris to maintain close communication and coordination, and move forward the strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincere mutual assistance and enduring friendship.

In his message, Peiris mentioned that the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and China coincides with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Rubber-Rice Pact.

Over the years, he said, the enduring friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and China have flourished, bringing common benefits to their partnership in various fields, and the close exchanges between the leaders of the two countries have witnessed the enduring development of bilateral relations.

Despite difficulties brought by the pandemic, Wang visited Sri Lanka during his first overseas trip in 2022, which fully demonstrates the priority both sides give to Sri Lanka-China relations, Peiris said.

Peiris said he believes that Sri Lanka and China will continue to strengthen cooperation in economy, poverty reduction, international and regional issues, people-to-people exchanges and vaccine cooperation, among others.

He also looks forward to working closely with Wang to further deepen and expand the traditional friendship and the strategic cooperative partnership between Sri Lanka and China, delivering benefits to the two peoples together.