China and SL in wide-ranging talks

R K Radhakrishnan

President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka early on Saturday morning after a successful visit to China where he met a host of leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.

President Rajapaksa, and his team held bilateral discussions on a wide range of issues with leaders. These primarily concerned infrastructure development of Sri Lanka, and, support for Sri Lanka in international fora.

According to Sri Lankan Presidential Spokesman Bandula Jayasekara, Jiabao told President Rajapaksa that he would encourage Chinese nationals to visit Sri Lanka and help promote tourism in Sri Lanka.

Both leaders agreed that people-to-people contacts and cultural activities between Sri Lanka and China should be encouraged.

Chinese companies will also be encouraged to buy more products from Sri Lanka since the balance of trade was in favour of China, he said in a message on the micro-blogging site, Twitter.

Sri Lanka's main exports to China are natural rubber, tea and seafood, particularly shrimps and prawns. Imports from China include knitted and crocheted fibre, iron and steel finished products, machinery, cement and toys. Sri Lanka reported a trade deficit equivalent to $ 1737 million in the first quarter of 2011.

Sri Lanka exports mostly textiles and garments (40 percent of total exports) and tea (17 percent). Sri Lanka imports petroleum, textile fabrics, foodstuff and machinery and transportation equipment. Main import partners are India, China, Iran and Singapore, according to the website trading economics.

Jayasekara also said that officials will hold discussions soon to increase SriLankan Airlines flights between China and Sri Lanka. SriLankan now flies to Beijing via Bangkok.

(The Hindu)