Progress in Beijing-Colombo ties also good for the whole South Asia

Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is paying a state visit to China from Tuesday to Friday.

His first visit to China since taking office is expected to not only renew the long-cherished traditional friendship between the two countries, but also inject a new source of power into their ties in the new era.

The historical ties between China and Sri Lanka date back to the 4th century, when Chinese explorer and monk Fa Xian visited Sri Lanka. In the 20th century, despite the trade embargo imposed by Western countries against China, Sri Lanka demonstrated its foresight and pragmatism by signing with it the 1952 Rubber-Rice Pact. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957, China-Sri Lanka relations have been marked by sound and steady development despite changes in the international landscape.

China has always helped Sri Lanka when it faced economic challenges; in 2013, China promoted the development of Colombo Port City. A patrol ship presented by China in 2019 was named after Sri Lanka's historically popular King Parakramabahu. China has also donated school uniforms, diesel fuel and medical supplies to Sri Lankan farmers and fishermen, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

China's Belt and Road Initiative has played an important role in Sri Lanka's infrastructure construction. A network of highways, seaports and airports built with aid from China and connecting major cities has opened more opportunities for its commerce and trade. Thanks to Chinese investment, the Colombo International Container Terminal has become one of the busiest ports in the world.

For some time now, India has used China's cooperation with Sri Lanka to play up regional security issues, even hyping up Sri Lanka taking sides between China and India. As a sovereign state, Sri Lanka has the right to develop relations with any country based on its own interests, and its closer ties with China do not mean its alienation with India.

China has never used its development of closer ties with Sri Lanka to target a third party. The continuous progress of China-Sri Lanka ties will benefit peoples of the two countries and contribute to overall peace and stability in South Asia.