Xi hails Dissanayake, wants better strategic cooperative partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed Sri Lanka’s new president Anura Dissanayake and expressed the hope that “strategic cooperative partnership” will improve between the two countries.

In a message to Dissanayake on Monday (September 23), Xi congratulated the Marxist leader for winning the presidential elections.

Describing China and Sri Lanka as “traditional friendly neighbours”, Xi said he attached “great importance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations”.

Belt and Road cooperation

The Chinese leader said he wished to consolidate political mutual trust, and achieve more fruitful outcomes in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

This would advance, he said, “the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership based on sincere mutual assistance and everlasting friendship, bringing more benefits to the two peoples”.

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka has a total foreign debt of USD 46.9 billion, 52 per cent of which is owed to China, its largest lender. China took over the Hambantota port on a 99-year lease as a debt swap.

Dissanayake’s China visit

Popularly known as AKD, 56-year-old Marxist leader Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s ninth president by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

He defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Saturday’s election.

Dissanayake is Sri Lanka’s first-ever Marxist party leader to become head of state. Last year, he visited China and interacted with Chinese officials on bilateral ties.

Dissanayake’s objective

In his inaugural address to the nation, President Dissanayake on Monday stressed that Sri Lanka cannot remain in isolation and needs international cooperation.

He said he is not a magician, but his objective is to be part of a collective responsibility to elevate the economic crisis-stricken country.

(With agency inputs)