Maithri to leave China on a four-day state visit

President Maithripala Sirisena will leave for China this afternoon commencing a four-day state visit on the invitation of President of China Xi Jinping, Presidential Secretariat said. The President, along with many other world leaders, is scheduled to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015, which will be held in Boao, Hainan Province from March 26 to 29 under the theme of Asia’s New Future: Towards a Community of Common Destiny. Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization with a fixed conference date and a fixed domicile. Proposed in 1998 by Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Philippines, Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia, and Morihiro Hosokawa, former Prime Minister of Japan, BFA was formally inaugurated on February 27, 2001. During his stay in China, President Maithripala is expected to hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart as well as Prime Minister and senior government officials. The talks will center on further enhancing cooperation between the two countries in areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, science and technology, and regional and international affairs, in addition to Sri Lanka – China Free Trade Agreement. Since the establishment of full diplomatic ties in 1957, Sri Lanka has continuously maintained close and friendly relations with China. The two countries have regularly exchanged high-level visits resulting in a variety of agreements. China has emerged as one of Sri Lanka’s key development partners in the recent years. Sri Lanka was among the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China.