APD | China and Sri Lanka discuss dates for Sri Lankan President's visit

By APD writer Easwaran

**COLOMBO, Jan 13 (APD) -- **Dates have not yet been fixed for Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s proposed visit to China, the President’s Office said on Monday.

Director General of Presidential Media Mohan Samaranayake told APD news that discussions are still ongoing to finalize mutually convenient dates for the visit.

Rajapaksa was to visit China on January 14 but the visit was postponed.

Prior to 2015 the then Mahinda Rajapaksa Government had a very close relationship with China.

China is now looking to cement ties with the new Government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka in recent years has carried out various development projects with an estimated $8 billion loans mostly secured from China under the multi-billion BRI, the pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at expanding China’s influence all over the world with a chain of infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)