Chinese FM to visit Sri Lanka next week

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in Colombo on Tuesday and meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena.

Colombo:China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Sri Lanka next week during which the two countries will discuss matters related to bilateral ties, according to an official statement.

Wang will arrive in Colombo on Tuesday and meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena during his visit to the island nation, the ministry of foreign relations said in a statement.

Wang will become the second foreign minister to visit Colombo after Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed as the Prime Minister, days after his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president in the November 16 presidential election.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar was the first foreign dignitary to meet the Rajapaksas in Colombo after the election.

The Chinese foreign minister's visit came ahead of Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Delhi.

Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit India early next month and hold talks with his Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to media reports.