High-powered Chinese delegation arrives in SL today

• Former Chinese FM to meet only with President and PM due to COVID-19 concerns

A high-powered Chinese delegation led by the former Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will arrive in Sri Lanka today and will only meet with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa due to COVID-19 infection concerns, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday. 

Yang is also a current Communist Party Political Bureau Member. 

“Being the first-ever Chinese visit in the South Asian region, since the global coronavirus epidemic, the visit is expected to strengthen cooperation between Sri Lanka and China, in the areas of combating the global pandemic and revival of economic relations,” the statement said. 

The visiting Chinese delegation is expected to meet with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on 9 October.

The travel bubble set up for the purpose of this important visit will confine the delegation to Colombo and restrict their engagements to just two meetings with the Head of State and the Prime Minister, under the strict health protocol prescribed by the Ministry of Health, it added.