BRI: China to continue pragmatic cooperation with SL

China will continue to push forward its pragmatic cooperation with Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative in order to bring more tangible benefits between the two countries and its two peoples, China’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Cheng Xueyuan said in Colombo at the 69th anniversary celebrations of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China on Wednesday evening. Addressing the gathering at the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo, the Ambassador said over the past year, pragmatic cooperation between China and Sri Lanka had developed rapidly especially with the ongoing construction of the Colombo Port City, the Hambantota Port, the Moragahakanda Reservoir Head works Project, the Extension of the Southern Railway and that of the Southern Expressway linking Colombo and Hambantota, in the south.

He said tourism had also expanded between the two countries in recent years with China now becoming Sri Lanka’s second largest source of tourists.

According to officials’ figures, 260,000 Chinese tourists arrived to Sri Lanka in 2017 and this number is estimated to exceed 300,000 in 2018, the Ambassador said. More Sri Lankans were also traveling to China as China had also become an important destination for overseas study and training for Sri Lankan people. “We are in the best period in history for the friendly and pragmatic cooperation between China and Sri Lanka,” Cheng said.

“Let’s work together, stick to our goals, overcome all the disturbance, to push forward China-sri Lanka cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, to build a community of shared future for China and Sri Lanka, and to bring more tangible benefits to our two countries and two peoples,” he added. In terms of trade, Cheng said China had invited Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to attend the opening ceremony of China’s first ‘China International Import Expo (CIIE)’ which will be held in Shanghai in November.

Sirisena has been invited to lead the Sri Lankan delegation, to promote the island country and its products to the Chinese people and to deliver more fruits to the friendly and pragmatic cooperation between China and Sri Lanka.