Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Wednesday that Sri Lanka wish to promote the relationship between China and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Bogollagama briefed Yang about the outcome of the 15th SAARC summit held last month in Colombo.

The Sri Lankan foreign minister said as the rotating chairman of the regional organization, Sri Lanka will contribute to promoting relationship between China and SAARC.

Yang said China attaches great importance to its relationship with SAARC and hopes to cooperate with the regional organization based on the principles of equality, mutual-trust and win-win cooperation.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had said that he expected China to play more important role as an observer of the SAARC.

SAARC was established when its charter was formally adopted on December 8, 1985 by the heads of state or government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan became the eighth member of the SAARC in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2008)