Chinese premier meets Sri Lanka president

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday, pledging to make progress in developing the two countries' strategic cooperative partnership.

Li said during the meeting that China and Sri Lanka are friendly neighbors with deep political mutual trust.

The two sides have developed a healthy and stable relationship since they established diplomatic ties, Li said, adding that with increasingly deepening friendship between the two peoples, the bilateral relationship has become a model for peaceful coexistence and mutual beneficial cooperation between countries.

With the presidents of China and Sri Lanka upgrading the two sides' relations to a strategic cooperative partnership on Tuesday, the bilateral relationship has entered a new phase, he added.

Noting China and Sri Lanka enjoy broad scope for cooperation with highly complementary economies, the premier said the two sides need to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, outline a bilateral economic cooperation plan, carry out discussions on a free trade area and activate a balanced trade in its development.

Li also suggested the two sides strengthen infrastructure cooperation, implementing major projects on ports, railways and highways, expand pragmatic cooperation and research on aerospace and marine science, and broaden cooperation in culture, education and tourism.

Rajapakse commended the friendship between Sri Lanka and China and he said the two sides provide mutual support on issues concerning each other's major concerns.

He said Sri Lanka regards China as an important partner and hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields.