President on State visit to China from January 14
January 12, 2025 Source: Sunday Observer
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will undertake a State visit to the People’s Republic of China from January 14 to 17 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
President Dissanayake will hold bilateral discussions with President Xi Jinping on a range of areas of mutual interest and will also have talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zhao Leji. Upon arrival in Beijing, the President will be accorded a Guard of Honour at the Great Hall of the People after which he will participate in bilateral talks with President Jinping. Several bilateral MoUs will be signed after the talks.
The visit will also feature an investor forum with the participation of top officials from China harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), China Merchant Group (CMG), Sinopec, Huawei, Build Your Dreams (BYD) and several other major Chinese companies.
From Beijing, the President will fly to Chengdu, where he will visit the Donfeng Electric Corporation, Zhan Qi village (which is an example for poverty alleviation), Tiangi Lithium Corporation and the Chengdu National Agricultural Science and Technology Centre. He will also engage in talks with the Communist Party of China (CPC) Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Committee.
China stands ready to work with Sri Lanka through the upcoming visit to carry forward our time-honoured friendship, deepen political mutual trust, and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and practical cooperation in various fields for continuous new progress in advancing the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincerity, mutual support and ever-lasting friendship as well as more benefit for the two peoples, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press conference on Friday.
“China and Sri Lanka have long been each other’s friend and close neighbour. Since our two countries established diplomatic ties in 1957, the bilateral relationship has stood the test of the changing international landscape, always maintained sound and steady growth, and set up a fine example of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries different in size,” Guo said.
The visit to the People’s Republic of China will further strengthen the longstanding ties between the two countries, a media release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism stated yesterday.