Sri Lankan FM to visit China

BEIJING -- Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will pay an official visit to China from Feb. 27 to 28, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

During the visit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold talks with Samaraweera, Hua Chunying told a routine press briefing.

Samaraweera is the first Sri Lankan minister to visit China since Sri Lanka's new administration took office, she said.

Sri Lanka is a friendly neighbor of China, she said, adding that bilateral relations enjoy sound political, economic and social foundations.

Since the formation of new Sri Lankan government, China and Sri Lanka have maintained close high-level contacts, said Hua.X Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao visited Sri Lanka recently as the special envoy of the Chinese government, which showed China's commitment to developing friendly cooperation with Sri Lanka, she said.

Liu's visit also received positive response from the Sri Lankan government, she added.

Sri Lankan new President Maithripala Sirisena will visit China in March to hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other high-level Chinese officials, according to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.

China hopes to exchange views with Sri Lanka through the visit on the future course of bilateral relations and make plans for the upcoming high-level visit and the development of all-round cooperation, so as to push forward bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership of sincerity, mutual help and everlasting friendship, said Hua.