Five bilateral agreements between Sri Lanka and China 

[August 13, 2003 - 9.30 GMT]

Five bilateral agreements between Sri Lanka and China were signed during Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent five-day working visit to China. The agreements included economic and technical cooperation, avoidance of dual taxation and a framework agreement to provide preferential loans to Sri Lanka.

A MoU on twining the cities of Shanghai, the commercial-financial hub of China and Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital and a protocol on bilateral consultations between the two Foreign Ministries were also signed.

The PM described his tour to China as “successful” which aimed at boosting greater and new bilateral trade, investments, services and socio-economic cooperation. The Premier was accompanied by a 50-member delegation of top business leaders.

Premier Wickremesinghe conveyed President Kumaratunga’s greetings to China’s President Hu Jinato and held talks with Prime Minister Wen Jiabo during which China pledged to enhance development, economic, financial and technical support to Sri Lanka. The Chinese PM further commended the Government’s current peace efforts and pledged his country’s fullest backing to a negotiated political settlement to Sri Lanka’s decades old conflict.

PM Wickremesinghe is quoted in Xinhuanet, as saying Sri Lanka hoped to formulate a new bilateral trade pact with China and strengthen cooperation in mutual investment, human resources development, tourism and civil aviation. 

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Last Updated Date: August 13, 2003  -9.00 GMT.