Chinese Premier Meets Presidential Envoy of Sri LankaChinese Premier Zhu Rongji met with presidential envoy D.M. Jayaratne of Sri Lanka in Zhongnanhai, the central government compound, Friday morning.Zhu said over the 40 years since diplomatic ties were forged between China and Sri Lanka, the two countries have supported and cooperated closely with each other. China believes that friendship between the two countries established on the basis of the Five Pinciples of Peaceful Co-existence will be further consolidated in the new century, said the premier. Jayaratne said both the government and people of Sri Lanka are grateful to China for its long-term humanitarian and material assistance. The Sri Lanka government highly emphasizes its relations with China, and will continue to promote and develop bilateral ties, he said. Jayaratne conveyed to Zhu a letter to President Jiang Zemin from President Kumaratunga. Jayaratne, also minister of agriculture and land, arrived in Beijing Thursday for a four-day visit. |
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