President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who attached great importance to international cooperation under China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said that he looks forward to finding solutions to global challenges on the platform of the BRI.
President Wickremesinghe expressed these views while participating in the LEADERS TALK interview programme broadcasted on the CCTV channel of China, prior to his official visit to China.
It was reported that the President and the First Lady are scheduled to arrive in China this (16) afternoon. He left for Singapore last night (15) to go to China.
He will be attending the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) which will be held on Oct 17-18, as 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI.
The 2023 forum will be a very important event marking the 10th anniversary of the BRI global cooperation platform, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier this year.
Wickremasinghe, who commended the BRI as the Rubber-Rice Pact in the new era, participated in the first BRF as prime minister of Sri Lanka in 2017.
In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Wickremasinghe said that with the third Belt and Road Forum fast approaching, he expects meaningful exchanges on navigating today’s difficulties including debt burden on low-income and middle-income countries and climate change issues.
With many countries facing hardships, the president stressed collective solutions will be the key, he stressed.
“From the first Belt and Road Summit for International Cooperation in 2017, then the second and up to now, the world situation has changed. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the economy of every country. At the same time, we also face the challenges brought by climate change, and it is a must to develop a green economy. There is also the debt pressure on low and middle income countries, such as Sri Lanka, which is undergoing a debt crisis. Many other countries have debt problems too. In the face of new difficulties and major global challenges, we hope to find solutions by participating in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative,” Wickremasinghe said.
In 1952, China and Sri Lanka opened the door for friendly exchanges by signing the Rubber-Rice Pact, demonstrating their national spirit in the fight against hegemony and power politics, and breaking the Cold War isolation imposed by the West.
Meanwhile, the representatives of Tamil political parties met with the President at the President’s Office yesterday (15) demanding that the lands acquired by the government in Batticaloa District be returned to the people.
The Eastern Province Governor, Mahaweli Director General, army chiefs, government officials and others participated in the meeting.
