01-11-2022, 11:08 AM
Chinese FM wraps up visit in Sri Lanka that boosts trade, while Western media unfairly hypes debt issue
![[Image: eef036c1-8e97-43b0-86a3-1aeb6d4c7de6.jpeg]](https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2022/2022-01-10/eef036c1-8e97-43b0-86a3-1aeb6d4c7de6.jpeg)
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi successfully wrapped up his first New Year trip on Sunday in Sri Lanka, the last leg of a multinational trip that also took him to three African countries and the Maldives, with deepened mutually beneficial pragmatic cooperation, which Chinese observers said cannot be shaken by some noise from Western media that labeled such cooperation "debt trap" or "white elephant projects" in order to smear China and sow discord between China and other countries.
During a meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo on Sunday, Wang called on China and Sri Lanka to discuss the restart of talks on free trade agreement by tapping the opportunities of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and China's vast market. Wang said the Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port projects could be engines for pushing forward bilateral cooperation.
China proposed a forum on the development of Indian Ocean island countries to build consensus and synergy, and promote common development, in which Sri Lanka can play an important role, said Wang.
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