Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku accepts an interview with Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 28, 2019. (Xinhuanet/Xu Xin)

BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Poverty alleviation in China is an amazing victory for the Chinese people and a model for the rest of the world, said Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku during an exclusive interview with Xinhuanet recently.

Official figures show that over the past 40 years, China has lifted more than 700 million rural residents out of poverty.

"It's a remarkable achievement of China, because there is a population of 1.4 billion (people)," said the ambassador.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a politically important milestone, he said.

The ambassador stressed that the political developments, economic transformation and technological innovations over the past 70 years have entirely changed the outlook of China.

With the rapid transformation of economy, China is not only able to accelerate the development, but also able to distribute the wealth fairly among the community with social justice, he stressed.

Besides, the ambassador mentioned that China is playing an important role on the international stage.

Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China is now sharing the achievements made during the last 40 years with the rest of the world, he said.

He further noted that many projects have been implemented in Sri Lanka in the economic cooperation between the two countries during the last five years.

The ambassador expressed his expectation of strengthened cooperation with China in the fields of construction, investment and technology transfer.

As China is to open wider to the world, Sri Lanka is eager to conclude a free trade agreement with China this year, he added.

On China's scientific innovation, the ambassador said the recent successful landing on the moon is a remarkable achievement. "We hope this is only the beginning of a long scientific journey," he noted.

He said the development of scientific innovation will help China participate in international cooperation in various fields and share the achievements with other countries.

At the end of the interview, the ambassador conveyed his best wishes to the ongoing annual sessions of China's national legislature and political advisory body.