China places Sri Lanka on top of its neighbourhood diplomacy: Xi tells Dissanayake

Beijing, Jan 15 (PTI) China places Sri Lanka on top of its neighbourhood diplomacy and supports it in safeguarding its sovereignty, President Xi Jinping told his Sri Lankan counterpart Anura Kumara Dissanayake during their meeting here on Wednesday.

After their meeting, the two countries signed several agreements to boost bilateral ties, an official statement here said.

Xi expressed China's readiness to usher in a new era of development in bilateral ties and called on the two countries to have a “keen grasp” of their relations from a “strategic perspective” and jointly build a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future, it said.

Dissanayake, who arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit a month after travelling to India on his first overseas trip since assuming office in September, was given a ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of People, following which both the Presidents held talks.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of several bilateral documents on the cooperation plan for jointly building the "Belt and Road" and on the export of agricultural products to China, social livelihood, news and broadcasting, the Chinese official statement said.

Dissanayake’s meeting with Xi is keenly watched as the Sri Lankan leader representing the Marxist-oriented Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) - the majority partner of the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) - outlines his China policy after his India visit where he assured New Delhi that he will not allow Sri Lanka’s territory to be used against India’s security interests.

His assurance was viewed in the backdrop of concerns raised by India over frequent visits of Chinese research vessels regarded as spy ships to Sri Lankan ports.

In his meeting with Dissanayake, Xi stressed that China has always placed Sri Lanka at the top of its neighbourhood diplomacy, the official statement here said.

China will continue to support Sri Lanka in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, support Sri Lanka in independently exploring a development path that suits its national conditions, and is willing to deepen political mutual trust with Sri Lanka, he said.

Xi emphasised China's readiness to work closely with Sri Lanka in ushering in a new era of development and also recalled the longstanding relationship between the two countries, highlighting the close friendship that has existed for decades.

China will actively support Sri Lanka in focusing on economic development, and the two countries should jointly foster new highlights in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as cooperation in modern agriculture, digital economy and marine economy, Xi said.

High-quality Belt and Road cooperation and cooperation in various fields have achieved fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi said.

China has undertaken several BRI projects, including the Hambantota ports, which its state-run company took over for a 99-year lease as a debt swap.

The Chinese statement quoted Dissanayake thanking Beijing for its support in safeguarding Sri Lanka's independence, sovereignty, and legitimate rights and interests.

Sri Lanka is committed to jointly building the "Belt and Road" and helping to improve the level of regional connectivity, he said.

Sri Lanka welcomes more Chinese companies to invest and start businesses in the island nation and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, finance, poverty reduction, digital transformation, tourism, ocean, personnel training and other fields, Dissanayake said.

For China, which expanded its strategic ties with Sri Lanka during the pro-Beijing leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickramasinghe, Dissanayake is a new generation leader representing new realities of his island nation.

After a severe economic crisis, Sri Lanka announced its first sovereign default of its debt of about USD 46.9 billion, over 50 per cent owed to China.

As the island nation went bankrupt, struggling with little or no foreign exchange, India stepped in with about USD four billion in assistance, enabling the country to stage a slow recovery and later qualify for the IMF bailout package.

During the crisis, China sent food grains but refrained from responding to Sri Lanka’s requests for extending large monetary assistance and calls for debt restructuring.

After protracted negotiations, China reached a deal with Sri Lanka to restructure its USD 4.2 billion debt.

The economic and political crisis propelled Dissanayake into prominence, resulting in massive victories in the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Dissanayake, once a bitter critic of India, chose India as his first visit abroad while appreciating India’s assistance during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. During talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he assured that Colombo would not permit its territory to be used “in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India,” in an apparent reference to China.

As a result of India’s concerns, Sri Lanka has imposed a one-year moratorium on foreign research vessels visiting its ports, which ended last month.

Soon after his return from India, a senior Chinese official Qin Boyong, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) met Dissanayake and said, “there are plans to restart maritime research activities, which were temporarily halted for various reasons”.

Dissanayake is also due to meet Premier Li Qiang and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Zhao Leji.

Earlier, Dissanayake visited the mausoleum of Mao Zedong and paid floral tributes to the founder of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

During the State Visit, Dissanayake is scheduled to participate in several key engagements and undertake field visits focused on technological and agricultural development, as well as initiatives aimed at poverty alleviation.

The visit also includes high-level business meetings and discussions, the President's Office in Colombo said earlier. PTI CORR KJV ZH ZH

Source: PTI