Want to deepen BRI cooperation under new prez: Xi congratulates Sri Lanka president Anura Kumara Dissanayake

BEIJING: Chinese Prez Xi Jinping on Monday said he hoped to broaden cooperation with Sri Lanka under his Belt and Road Infrastructure initiative as he congratulated new Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Sri Lanka is emerging from a years-long economic collapse blamed partly on struggling high-debt Chinese mega-projects coordinated through BRI, the massive project that is a central pillar of Xi's bid to expand his country's clout overseas.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations and am willing to work with Mr. President to continue our traditional friendship (and) enhance mutual political trust," Xi said in a message to Dissanayaka, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Xi said he hoped bilateral cooperation under his flagship BRI would "bear more fruit". He said Beijing would "promote the steady progress of sincere mutual assistance between China and Sri Lanka as well as our age-old strategic cooperative partnership, and create more benefits for the peoples of both countries".