President Hu Jintao and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda
Rajapaksa on Wednesday exchanged congratulations on the "Year of
China-Sri Lanka Friendship" which also marks the 50th anniversary
of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two
countries.
The Chinese and Sri Lankan peoples have a long history of
friendly exchanges, and in the past 50 years, the two countries
have witnessed a healthy and smooth growth of the bilateral ties
which have stood the test of time and changes in the international
environment, said Hu.
Describing the bilateral ties as an example of friendly
coexistence between countries with different social systems, the
Chinese president said the Chinese government cherishes its
traditional friendship with Sri Lanka and is committed to promoting
the friendly ties.
In Rajapaksa's message to Hu, the Sri Lankan president said the
bilateral relations over the last half-century have remained firm,
deep and consistent and the progress on economic cooperation at all
levels, increased religious and cultural interaction as well as
close communication and consultation at the international and
regional level were all evidence of this.
The president believed the activities for the "Year of China-Sri
Lanka Friendship" will certainly boost the two countries' exchanges
and cooperation in many new fields and promote all-round
cooperation and a partnership of sincere mutual support and
everlasting friendship.
Premier Wen Jiabao and his Sri Lankan counterpart Ratnasiri
Wickremanayake also exchanged messages of congratulations on the
same day.
(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2007)
