China stands ready to carry forward the traditional friendship with Sri Lanka through the upcoming visit of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday (Jan. 10).
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Dissanayake will pay a state visit to China from Jan 14 to 17, the foreign ministry announced earlier on Friday.
“This will be President Dissanayake’s first visit to China since he took office. It’s of great significance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will hold talks with President Dissanayake, and Premier Li Qiang and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji will meet with him respectively. China and Sri Lanka are traditional friendly neighbors. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka in 1957, our relations have stood the test of the changing international landscape and maintained sound and steady development, setting a fine example of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation for countries of different sizes,” Guo said.
“Taking President Dissanayake’s visit to China as an opportunity, we stand ready to work with the Sri Lankan side to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust, expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and practical cooperation in various fields, seek new progress in our strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincerity, mutual support and ever-lasting friendship, deliver more benefits to the people of the two countries,” Guo said.
Sri Lankan athlete Kalinga Kumarage has won the bronze medal in the Men’s 400m event at the Asian Athletics Championship 2025, held in Gumi, South Korea.
Kumarage finished clocking 45.55 seconds.
The gold and silver medals were won by Qatar and Japan respectively.
The Post and Telecommunication Officers’ Union (PTOU) has scheduled a 48-hour token strike starting from midnight today (May 28), PTOU President G.G.C. Niroshana has said.
He added that the strike is being held based on 10 demands, including addressing delays in the recruitment process.
Employees of Michelin Lanka Pvt Ltd, located in the Midigama area of Matara, allege that there are plans to sell the company.
This has raised concerns among employees about job losses, leading to protests.
Workers allege that the company is planning to dismiss them with a minimal severance payment, which they believe is insufficient.
An employee has revealed to the media that after workers were informed about this decision, a newly formed employees’ union has set several demands to the company authorities.
Workers have demanded a fair severance package, but authorities have offered Rs.200,000, (a sum employees consider inadequate) reportedly asking them to provide resignation letters in return.
An employer also states that before the current government took office, Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe had proposed that forming a trade union could help secure workers’ rights. However, the president and secretary of that union are now reportedly in hiding, he employer adds.
Meanwhile, holding a press conference recently, the Inter Company Employees’ Union had revealed that Michelin Lanka Pvt Ltd is in the process of selling the company to the Indian company – CEAT.
According to the union, CEAT has purchased a majority stake in the company.
As part of the deal, it is reported that the Midigama factory of Michelin Lanka Pvt Ltd and part of its operations in Ja-Ela have been transferred to Indian CEAT company.
The Inter Company Employees’ Union had stated there was no issue as a MoU was signed between the two companies to secure workers’ rights. According to the agreement, Michelin Lanka Pvt Ltd had pledged to honor the full service period of affected workers, while CEAT agreed to provide appropriate compensation based on their years of service, the union adds.
Michelin Lanka was previously a part of Camso Loadstar (Private) Ltd, one of the largest suppliers of industrial tyres in the global market.
The situation at Michelin Lanka follows the sudden closure of the NEXT garment factory in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone a few weeks ago, leaving over 1,400 workers jobless.
In a statement, the company cited high production costs as the reason for shutting down operations in Sri Lanka.
