Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga's current visit to China is considered special significance, the official Daily News said in an editorial Monday.

The president left here Sunday for China on a five-day state visit. She is expected to exchange views and conclude a number of bilateral agreements with Chinese leaders in the fields of finance, tourism and culture.

"This is a timely initiative by the president to upgrade our relations with China, the fastest-growing economy in the world," the paper said.

According to the paper, Sri Lanka and China have been enjoying a traditional friendship spanning the millennia, and it is vital to maintain such ties characterized by common cultural and spiritual interests in the future.

The paper noted that China's economic assistance to Sri Lanka and its development cooperation with Sri Lanka have reached unprecedented heights with China's material inputs figuring very prominently in several vital development projects.

The paper said that Sino-Lanka unity flourished steadily under subsequent governments headed by Sirimavo Bandaranaike - the world's first woman Prime Minister - and this warm tradition is being sustained today by President Kumaratunga.

Source: Xinhua