COLOMBO, Sept. 16 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on China and Sri Lanka to accelerate the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two countries.

The two sides should strive to set up a free trade area at an early date, Xi said when meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka is the third leg of Xi's ongoing four-country Asia trip, which has already taken him to Tajikistan and Maldives and will also take him to India.