China congratulates newly-elected Sri Lanka President
Saturday, 10 January 2015 03:52
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Reuters: China on Friday (9) congratulated Sri Lanka’s new PresidentMithripala Sirisena.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa lost his bid for a third term, ending a decade of rule that critics say had become increasingly authoritarian and marred by nepotism and corruption. “China expresses congratulations to Sirisena, the newly-elected President of Sri Lanka. We wish the Sri Lankan Government and the people under the leadership of Sirisena achieve new progress in the path of the country’s development,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing.
“China and Sri Lanka have traditionally enjoyed a deep friendship. All previous governments in Sri Lanka have upheld a friendly policy towards China. The two countries have maintained a strong momentum of cooperation. The cooperation projects between China and Sri Lanka are established on a win-win basis which is equal, based on trust and mutually beneficial, and in line with the common interests of the people of the two countries” he said. Sirisena, a soft-spoken 63-year-old from the rice-growing hinterlands of this Indian Ocean island state, was sworn in at Colombo’s Independence Square last evening.
