ECONOMYNEXT – Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong has welcomed news of the island nationâ€s presidentâ€s first foreign visit to India and said such a move will be beneficial for Sri Lankans.
 Ambassador Zhenhong is in Jaffna on a visit to see the situation in the Northern Province which is close to South Indiaâ€s Tamil Nadu State.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will go to New Delhi on an official visit next month and later he will visit China.
“Yesterday, I learned from the news that a minister has said that President Dissanayake will make his first official visit to India in the middle of December. We are very glad to see this new development because India and Sri Lanka are close neighbours,†Zhenhong told reporters when he had a media briefing on Tuesday (19) at Jaffna Press Club.
“And when the two countries build relations and economic cooperation, they can deliver more benefits to the people of the country.â€
“We also welcome his excellency Dissanayake to visit China at his convenience, because we believe such visit will also enhance our traditional friendship, promote our bilateral economic cooperation and bring many more benefits to the People.â€
The Chinese ambassadorâ€s visit comes four days after Dissanayakeâ€s Marxists Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National Peopleâ€s Power (NPP) recorded a historic win in the North similar to the South of the country.
Ethnic minority Tamils until November 14 elections have backed ethnic Tamil parties and never supported any other parties when Tamil parties contest in their districts.
However, most Tamils voted for the NPP, which recorded a landslide victory with 159 seats in the 225-member parliament.
Zhenhong praised the Northern people for the change they expressed in last weekâ€s election. (Colombo/November 20/2024)
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