China to develop a strategic partnership with Sri Lanka

Beijing. February 5. Silkroadnews - China will develop a strategic partnership with Sri Lanka, Xinhua reports.
“China is willing to work with Sri Lanka for better development of strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a message addressed to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena,” the report said.
In his message, Xi congratulated Sri Lanka on the 70th anniversary of its independence from the British colonial rule and reminded of the traditional friendship and mutual assistance between China and Sri Lanka. With this he also noted, the two countries successfully cooperate in the project on joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
“I pay high attention to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations, and I am willing to make concerted efforts with President Sirisena to push the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership of sincere mutual assistance and long-standing friendship to keep achieving greater development in the better interest of the two countries and the two peoples,” the agency quoted president Xi Jinping saying.
The Belt and Road initiative China proposed back in 2013 is aimed at creating trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on the basis of ancient land and maritime trade routes.