Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday thanked China for its long-term support to Sri Lanka's economic and social development and hoped that China's assistance and aid would benefit more at the grass root level.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe expressed these views following a working consultation with Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan at Temple Trees.

“Sri Lanka attaches great importance to mega-projects cooperation between our two countries and to tackle the practical difficulties listed by the Chinese side,” he said.

The Premier will urge the ministerial committee on Hambantota development and the Ministry of Southern Development to coordinate concerned departments to speed up the implementation of pragmatic cooperation such as the development of Hambantota Port and industrial zone, so as to bring real benefit to the Sri Lankan people at an early date.

Ambassador Cheng highlighted the bilateral economic and trade relation, especially major-projects cooperation as the ballast stone of Sino-Sri Lanka relations. In order to strive for early harvest and bring tangible benefit to the citizens of both countries, China stands ready to work with the Sri Lankan side to accelerate the implementation of major-projects cooperation under the framework of the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

He also elaborated on current progress together with difficulties of the mega-projects cooperation between the two countries and called upon the Sri Lankan government to push for practical solutions.

Both sides reviewed the current progress of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and vowed to further promote pragmatic cooperation.