{"id":123224,"date":"2025-10-16T15:06:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/16\/sri-lankan-pm-eyes-stronger-cooperation-with-china\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T15:06:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:06:12","slug":"sri-lankan-pm-eyes-stronger-cooperation-with-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/sri-lankan-pm-eyes-stronger-cooperation-with-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lankan PM eyes stronger cooperation with China"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEIJING, China, Oct 16 \u2014 Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has called for stronger collaboration with China as her government pursues an ambitious program of economic and social transformation, highlighting China\u2019s continued role as a key partner in the island nation\u2019s recovery and development.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During her visit to Beijing this week, Amarasuriya, who was sworn in as Sri Lanka\u2019s third female prime minister in September 2024, attended the Global Leaders\u2019 Meeting on Women and met with President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, she described the meetings as \u201cproductive\u201d, while reaffirming Sri Lanka\u2019s commitment to ensuring the smooth implementation of ongoing joint projects and seeking China\u2019s support for new initiatives in infrastructure, energy and education.<\/p>\n

Amarasuriya cited major joint ventures such as the Colombo Port City, the Hambantota Port and the Central Expressway as central to her country\u2019s growth strategy.<\/p>\n

She said that China\u2019s support in education and human capital development, through modernization programs and scholarships, has made a significant impact on Sri Lanka\u2019s development capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re undergoing a real transformation at many levels, and we would like China\u2019s cooperation and support in ensuring that transformation stays on track and delivers results for the people of Sri Lanka,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Amarasuriya also lauded the commitment made by Xi to gender equality and women\u2019s empowerment globally during the opening ceremony of the Global Leaders\u2019 Meeting on Women on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe initiatives that he mentioned for taking this agenda forward, I think, are extremely important at this moment, and give all of us a lot of hope that this work can continue, and that this work will have the backing of progressive leaders and progressive thinkers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Women hold up half the sky\u2019<\/h2>\n

This support is especially important at a moment when \u201cthere is also a very regressive discourse and narrative taking place on women\u2019s rights, on gender equality and on reproductive rights\u201d, she said. \u201cIt was Chairman Mao who said women hold up half the sky, but we\u2019re not there yet. We have a long way to go, so there\u2019s work to be done,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Recalling the 1952 Rubber-Rice Pact that laid the foundation for modern cooperation between China and Sri Lanka, Amarasuriya noted the symbolic depth of the two countries\u2019 relations. \u201cI think what is unique is that our two governments are very aligned in their thinking and in their ideology,\u201d she said, adding that the next chapter of bilateral ties should focus on people-to-people relations and shared cultural values.<\/p>\n

Amarasuriya encouraged more Chinese consumers and businesses to engage with Sri Lanka, citing its tea, cinnamon and gemstone industries, as well as its growing appeal as a tourist and investment destination.<\/p>\n

\u201cTourism is very important to us, and we are rapidly becoming a favorite destination for Chinese people,\u201d she said, adding that Sri Lanka also positions itself as a reliable and safe destination for Chinese entrepreneurs and investors.<\/p>\n

Amarasuriya\u2019s first official visit to Beijing included stops at the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. \u201cIt\u2019s been an excellent trip,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For more visit\u00a0China Daily<\/a><\/p>\n

For subscriptions on news from China Daily, or inquiries, please contact China Daily Africa Ltd on +254 20 6920900 or write to enquiries@chinadailyafrica.com<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BEIJING, China, Oct 16 \u2014 Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has called for stronger collaboration with China as her government pursues an ambitious program of economic and social transformation, highlighting China\u2019s continued role as a key partner in the island nation\u2019s recovery and development. During her visit to Beijing this week, Amarasuriya, who was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123224\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}