Close on the heels of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to India, the island nation signed six agreements with China for enhanced cooperation in economic and other fields.
The agreements were signed by visiting Chinese Vice-Premier, Zhang Dejiang, and Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne on Friday. Mr. Zhang is here on a three-day official trip leading a 30-member delegation.
The pacts cover highways development, enhanced cooperation in information technology and communications, development of maritime ports and the second phase of the Hambantota Port Development project and maintenance of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall.
Mr. Zhang, who met Mr. Rajapaksa on Saturday, reiterated China's commitment to the economic development of Sri Lanka with investment in and association with major economic, infrastructure and socio-cultural development projects in the country.
A statement by the President's Office described the meeting as cordial and constructive and said the discussions focused on the progress of economic cooperation and the progress of several projects. In the last three years, China has been engaged in a big way in projects in Sri Lanka and became its largest foreign investor in 2009.
The statement said Mr. Rajapaksa thanked China for its continued assistance in the efforts to defeat terrorism and economic and social development, both during the conflict and after.
It said Mr. Zhang cited the success of the Rajapaksa government in liberating the country from terrorism and his commitment to economic development as the two clear reasons for the President's overwhelming political success, as seen by the results of the recent elections.
