Wu Guanzheng meets Srilankan PM

A visiting senior Chinese official has said China's new leadership attaches great importance to the development of relations between China and Sri Lanka.

Wu Guanzheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse on late Thursday, said a spokesman of the Chinese delegation Friday.

The friendship between China and Sri Lanka goes back to ancient times and since the establishment of diplomatic relations 47 years ago, bilateral ties have been growing smoothly, with exchanges and cooperation in various areas growing steadily, Wu said.

Wu, also Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, arrived here on Thursday for a good-will visit to Sri Lanka, the first leg of his four-nation tour which will also take him to the Maldives, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The new leadership of China is ready to work together with the government of Sri Lanka for continuous growth in friendly relations of cooperation between the two countries, Wu said.

Wu also thanked the Sri Lankan government for its support to China on such issues as Taiwan, human rights and Tibet.

For his part, Rajapaske said the continuous expansion of Sino-Sri Lankan friendly and cooperative ties is the logical trend of the growing traditional friendship between the two countries.

The previous and present governments of Sri Lanka have all along attached great importance to the development of relations with China, and high-level exchange of visits and contact between the two countries are playing an important role in promoting the steady development of bilateral ties, Rajapaske said.

Rajapaske said the Sri Lankan government will continue to adhere to the one-China policy and he thanked China for having rendered valuable assistance to Sri Lanka since a long time ago.

Fresh headway will be made in bilateral cooperation in various fields including trade, economy, education and tourism, the Sri Lankan prime minister said.

After their talks, Wu and Rajapaske attended a ceremony at which an agreement on economic and technological cooperation was signed.

Wu Guanzheng meets Sri Lanka��s Parliament Speaker

On Friday, Wu also met with Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker W.J.M.Lokubandara.

During the meeting, Wu praised the unique role of party-to-party exchanges and contact in promoting the development of state-to-state relations.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) will continue its efforts to deepen its exchanges and cooperation with the friendly political parties in Sri Lanka, Wu said.

Lokubandara said the friendly exchanges between the two countries have stood the test of time. Wu's current visit to Sri Lanka will undoubtedly help push forward the existing friendly relations between the two countries, he said.