China ready to strengthen cooperation with Sri Lanka: China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson

COLOMBO (News 1st): China is ready to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation with Sri Lanka, Zhao Lijian - spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday (Aug 10). "The friendly ties between China and Sri Lanka go back a long way. In recent years China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership based on sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship has made great strides, and bilateral cooperation in various fields has expanded and deepened," Zhao Lijian said. Zhao Lijian further noted that in the face of COVID-19, the two governments and the citizens have been supporting and assisting each other adding, the friendship between the two states has been consolidated and elevated amid the joint efforts against the pandemic. "Prime Minister Rajapaksa has long been committed to promoting friendly ties with China. China sets great store by its relationship with Sri Lanka. We stand ready to strengthen our traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with Sri Lanka and move forward bilateral relations to deliver the greater benefit of the two countries and the two peoples," the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson added. These views were expressed during China's Foreign Ministry Regular Press Conference, held on Monday (Aug 10).