Sri Lanka was among the first countries to recognize the People's Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957, China -Sri Lanka relations have been on very good terms.

The President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka will pay a state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping between May 27 and 30. On this occasion, China.org.cn's Zhang Fang had an exclusive interview Tuesday?with Sri Lankan Ambassador Ranjith Uyangoda, where he talks about the bilateral relations, trading?partnership, cultural exchanges, and?tourism development?between the two countries.