Sri Lanka’s Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, one month after visiting India on his first overseas trip since winning election in September.

Sri Lanka and China did not mention the end of the former's moratorium on visits by foreign research vessels but indicated commitment to ‘maritime cooperation’.

China will continue to play a "positive role" in the International Monetary Fund and maintain friendly communication with other creditors, in assisting Sri Lanka to achieve financial relief and debt sustainability,

Sri Lanka has secured its biggest-ever foreign investment after signing a deal with Chinese state-run oil giant Sinopec, officials said on Thursday.Sinopec has agreed to invest $3.7 billion to construct a "state-of-the-art oil refinery" with a capacity of 200,000 barrels in the southern Hambantota region, according to the Sri Lanka president's media division."During President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s four-day state visit to China, Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone by securing the largest foreign direct investment to date," it said.A "substantial portion" of the refinery's output would be earmarked for export as part of efforts to shore up Sri Lanka's foreign exchange earnings, a statement said."This major investment from China is expected to bolster Sri Lanka's economic growth while uplifting the livelihoods of low-income communities in the Hambantota area," it added.The port of Hambantota was handed to a Beijing company on a 99-year lease for $1.12 billion in 2017 after Sri Lanka was unable to repay a huge Chinese loan, a controversial decision which raised questions about Chinese investments in the country.Sri Lanka also defaulted on its foreign borrowings in 2022 during a crisis that caused months of food, fuel and medicine shortages.China accounted for more than half the country's bilateral debt at the time of the economic crash.Leftist Dissanayake came to power in September and consolidated his position after his party won by a landslide in snap parliamentary polls last November.His four-day visit to China comes after he was given a red-carpet welcome to India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first overseas trip as premier in December.In a meeting with Dissanayake on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two countries "face a historical opportunity to build on the past and forge ahead".The two sides should see ties from "a strategic perspective and build a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future", Xi said, according to state media.Sri Lanka had originally awarded the refinery project in 2019 to an Indian family-owned company based in Singapore, but terminated the agreement after the firm failed to start construction.Officials signalled in 2023 that they would award the contract to Sinopec after another bidder pulled out.Sri Lanka sits astride the world's busiest shipping route, which links the Middle East and East Asia, giving its maritime assets strategic importance.mjw/je/tc/fox

China and Sri Lanka have agreed to increase investment and strengthen economic cooperation. This follows meetings between China's President Xi Jinping and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Beijing,

Zhao Leji chairman of China National People Congress Standing Committee meets with Sri Lankan President Anura Kum

BEIJING — Sri Lanka and China signed a series of cooperation agreements on Wednesday following talks between their leaders, one month after Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made ...

The 100-rupee note in wild circulation in Sri Lanka features the China-built Puttalam Coal Power Plant, a key Belt and Road project. Located on the Kalpitiya Peninsula, about 130 km north of Colombo, the plant provides power to countless homes across the country.

Sanju Samson failed to find a place in India's 15-member ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad, which was announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Saturday.

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has refused to take the blame for Sanju Samson's absence from India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad. Samson was left out of Kerala's squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT).

The selection committee made some significant decisions, leaving out Sanju Samson, Mohammed Siraj, and Karun Nair from the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy.