China stands behind Sri Lanka, offers support to protect sovereignty

Monday, 18 March 2013 00:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

China will continue to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to protect its sovereignty and to offer assistance for development and sustainable peace, the newly elected Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In a telephone conversation on Saturday, President Rajapaksa congratulated the new Chinese leader on his election as President and expressed the Sri Lankan people’s appreciation for China’s assistance to help promote peace, stability and development in Sri Lanka, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

During their conversation, President Rajapaksa, noting that Sri Lanka and China have been close friends for a long time, has assured President Xi that Sri Lanka would continue to firmly support China on issues concerning its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

President Rajapaksa noted that during the tenure of the new president, the excellent bilateral relations between China and Sri Lanka would further strengthen and reach new heights.

Appreciating Sri Lankan President’s well wishes, the Chinese president observed that for many years, bilateral ties between the two countries have maintained a healthy and stable development momentum, with fruitful cooperation in all sectors.

President Xi has also expressed his appreciation for Sri Lanka’s long-term support on issues regarding China’s core interests, and said China highly values the development of its relations with Sri Lanka.

“China firmly supports Sri Lanka’s efforts to protect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and would like to continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka within China’s capacity,” the Chinese president said.

The Chinese president has expressed hope that the two countries will make concerted efforts to promote their comprehensive relations of cooperation and partnership to even higher levels, Xinhua reported.