China, Sri Lanka vow to deepen strategic cooperative partnership as FMs meet

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday met with his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the two sides vowed to deepen their strategic cooperative partnership and enhance practical cooperation.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China is ready to work with Sri Lanka to push the development of the strategic cooperative partnership featuring mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship between the two countries.

He called on both sides to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, jointly implement the two flagship projects – the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Port, speed up the negotiations on a China-Sri Lanka free trade agreement, and create new growth points for cooperation in fields such as green energy, digital economy, modern agriculture and marine economy.

China-Sri Lanka maritime cooperation is mutually beneficial, Wang said, adding that it does not target any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party.

The Chinese foreign minister said the so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy” provokes camp confrontation and coerces all parties to take sides, which is not in line with the trend of the times and will not be supported by regional countries.

Herath said Sri Lanka attaches great importance to its relations with China, and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.

Noting that bilateral cooperation has brought tangible benefits to the Sri Lankan people and promoted the development and connectivity of the region, Herath said Sri Lanka will enhance practical cooperation with China in areas including trade and investment, infrastructure and ocean, and further deepen the two countries’ strategic cooperative partnership.

Source: CGTN
--Agencies