Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said Sri Lanka highly value China’s continuous support to Sri Lanka. He said this when Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Shenhong met him at the Temple Trees Office in Colombo on Wednesday (21).
Ambassador Qi Shenhong said China has offered an additional US$ 400,000 worth food and other humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka and requested the Prime Minister to provide a list of immediate requirements. The Prime Minister thanked him for the assistance provided by China to alleviate the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka,
The Prime Minister made a special mention about the Chinese stand in support of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty at the international forums including the UNHRC.
The discussion initiated with a satisfactory reference to the historical bilateral relations between the two countries. During the meeting, the importance of further strengthening the existing economic cooperation between China and Sri Lanka in the face of the current economic crisis was emphasized.
The Prime Minister said Sri Lanka would welcome direct private investments as well as investments in agriculture, renewable energy, irrigation and water supply sectors to provide long term solutions to economic issues.
Chinese Ambassador expressed satisfaction over the progress of Sri Lanka’s discussions with the International Monetary Fund, As China is also a member of the IMF, the Ambassador assured that the necessary support will be provided in the meeting of the IMF Board of Directors.
The Minister offered his felicitations to the forthcoming Chinese national day celebrations.
Prime Minister’s Secretary Mr. Anura Dissanayake was also present at this meeting.