China’s newly appointed Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Wei Huaxiang, has pledged to further strengthen the longstanding friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Sri Lanka as he assumes his new post in Colombo.
Ambassador Wei, who arrived in Sri Lanka on August 11, said it was a “great honor and privilege” to have been appointed by Chinese President Xi Jinping as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sri Lanka.
In a written speech delivered upon his arrival, Wei highlighted the longstanding ties between the two countries, referring to historical links through the ancient Silk Road and the Rubber-Rice Pact, as well as more recent cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
He said cooperation between the two countries has produced tangible benefits for their people, highlighting initiatives including the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Centre for Water Technology and China’s provision of school uniform fabric for Sri Lankan students.
The Ambassador also recalled the meetings between President Xi Jinping and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya during their respective visits to China in 2025, saying the high-level engagements had provided new strategic guidance for bilateral relations.
“China always takes Sri Lanka as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy,” Wei said, describing the two countries as partners in development and “good brothers and good friends that share weal and woe.”
He said China was ready to work alongside Sri Lanka to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Wei noted that 2027 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka and the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Rubber-Rice Pact.
The Ambassador pledged to work with his colleagues to carry forward the traditional friendship, expand cooperation and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese institutions and citizens in Sri Lanka.
He also called for closer communication with different sectors in both countries as he begins his tenure in Colombo. (Newswire)