In Beijing, Xi meets with the president of Sri Lanka.

New facets of China-Sri Lanka cooperation should be promoted.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stated Wednesday that China will actively assist Sri Lanka in concentrating on economic development and that the two nations should work together to create new highlights in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as cooperation in modern agriculture, the digital economy, and the marine economy, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Speaking to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is in China on a state visit, Xi stated that China's efforts to further deepen reform completely in order to progress Chinese modernization will create new chances for Sri Lanka's growth.

Xi noted that China and Sri Lanka have a long-standing relationship and that their bilateral ties have developed steadily and healthily over the past 68 years, serving as a model for amicable coexistence and productive collaboration between nations.

Through collaborative efforts, China and Sri Lanka have consistently advanced a strategic cooperative cooperation characterized by reciprocal support and enduring friendship. According to Xi, excellent Belt and Road collaboration as well as collaboration in other areas have produced positive outcomes and are benefiting the two peoples in real ways.

According to him, the two nations should work together to create a China-Sri Lanka community with a common destiny and have a solid understanding of bilateral relations from a strategic standpoint.

According to Sri Lankan local media Sunday Times, Dissanayake began a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday. The leader is visiting China for the first time since becoming office.

China and Sri Lanka have been close neighbors and friends for a long time. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun briefed on January 10 that since our two nations' diplomatic relations began in 1957, the bilateral relationship has endured the test of the shifting global environment, consistently maintained sound and steady growth, and set up a fine example of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between nations of different sizes.

The spokesperson added that China is prepared to work with Sri Lanka during the next visit in order to continue our long-standing friendship, strengthen political mutual trust, and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as well as practical cooperation in a number of fields for ongoing new advancements in the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Sri Lanka that features sincerity, mutual support, and enduring friendship as well as more benefits for the two peoples.

"New heights" for relationships

Vijitha Herath, Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, and Luo Zhaohui, Director of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, signed a number of cooperation agreements on Wednesday, including an MOU on enhancing collaboration in social and livelihood development and an intergovernmental economic and technical cooperation agreement.

Long Xingchun, a professor at Sichuan International Studies University's School of International Relations, told the Global Times that the visit of the president of Sri Lanka will surely advance bilateral exchanges and policy coordination between China and Sri Lanka, providing a vital basis for future collaboration and the superior advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This is Dissanayake's second foreign trip and his first visit to China since winning the election last year. Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that this visit can be viewed as a continuation and strengthening of the cooperation outcomes attained by previous governments, with the goal of further advancing the China-Sri Lanka partnership to new heights.

According to Qian, Sri Lanka was among the first nations to join the BRI, and the infrastructure collaboration has significantly improved Sri Lanka's domestic infrastructure.

One significant BRI partner nation is Sri Lanka. China has carried out historic projects in Sri Lanka over the last ten years, such as the construction of power plants, highways, water conservation infrastructure, Colombo Port City, and Hambantota Port. The infrastructure of Sri Lanka has been greatly enhanced by these initiatives, providing a strong basis for the country's future economic growth.

When Dissanayake gained office, Sri Lanka was experiencing severe economic problems. Without collaboration with China as a significant power, it is impossible to complete tasks including tackling external threats, economic development, job creation, and raising fiscal revenue. Accordingly, collaboration under the BRI has grown in importance as a tool for the advancement of bilateral ties, giving the South Asian nation much-needed impetus, Long stated.

Globalization and economic growth have inevitably led to China's increasing influence on South Asian and Indian Ocean nations like Sri Lanka. South Asian countries must establish diplomatic ties with other nations, such as China, India, Japan, and the United States, as they are sovereign states. According to Long, the expansion of regional ties between countries is a logical outcome of China's growing influence in the area.

Unavoidable evolution

In a lengthy piece released on Wednesday, the Indian news outlet Firstpost stated that "India has emerged as a strong counterbalance amid the growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka." According to a report by the Indian media, China's "aggressive economic tactics" will have "critical implications for Sri Lanka's sovereignty and the stability of the broader region."

Experts noted that New Delhi's limited geopolitical outlook, which sees South Asia as its own sphere of influence and disregards other nations' rights to establish cordial and cooperative relations with China, is the main cause of India's apprehension about China's presence in the Indian Ocean.

Collaboration between South Asian and Indian Ocean nations and China is unavoidable in this age of globalization and advantageous for India as well. It will be challenging to promote South Asia's growth if India is unable to transcend its limited geopolitical perspective, according to Long.

"Sri Lanka and China have close economic, diplomatic, and cultural exchanges," stated Ruwan Ranasinghe, deputy minister of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, in a recent interview with Xinhua. He emphasized that the two countries' major projects, including the Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port, and their excellent Belt and Road cooperation have given Sri Lanka's economic recovery a significant boost and demonstrated a strong relationship between them.