Colombo, April 12 (newsin.asia): In his Sinhala-Tamil New Year message the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong has said that tangible outcomes have been constantly achieved in the development of the China-funded Colombo Port City and Hambantota International Port prjects.

Qi described these two projects as the “new duo engines of Sri Lanka’s economic growth.”

He further said that “grant projects with an aim to improve people’s livelihood, the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology, as well as the National Nephrology Specialist Hospital has been or will soon be commissioned.”

“All these achievements have provided strong impetus for Sri Lanka to realize sustainable development at an earlier time, and for strategic alignment between high-quality building of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor,” Qi said.

“Avurudu and Puthandu represent a time for a fresh start. And under the guidance of the important consensus reached by the two leaders of our two countries, we will continue working together to elevate China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level, and to achieve more results, so as to deliver more benefits to our two countries and peoples

“In the past year, the political mutual trust between China and Sri Lanka has been further cemented. President Xi Jinping and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had two phone conversations of great significance, and reached many broad and important consensus in our bilateral cooperation, providing strategic guidance for the further development of China-Sri Lanka relations.”

“In various international fora, our two countries have been supporting and cooperating with each another, and altogether upholding international fairness and justice, and safeguarding the common interests of our two nations and the developing countries at large.”

“In the past year, China and Sri Lanka have been working firmly together in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese people will always remember the solid and strong support extended by Sri Lankan people from all walks of life. And China was the first country to ship batches of medical supplies and extend financial support to Sri Lanka, and has recently provided 600,000 doses of vaccines. The traditional friendship between our two peoples, who have been sharing weal and woe has been elevated to a new height.”

“May Sri Lanka prospers and her people enjoy peace!”

“May the China-Sri Lanka friendship be ever-lasting!”