In the afternoon of May 29, 2013, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council met with President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse at the Great Hall of the People.

Li Keqiang said, China and Sri Lanka are friendly neighbours with a high degree of political mutual trust. Since the establishment of diplomatic relationship, the relations between the two countries have enjoyed sound and stable development with increasingly deepened friendship between the two peoples, and the bilateral relationship is good enough to serve as a model for friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries. President Xi Jinping and Your Excellency agreed to upgrade China-Sri Lanka relationship to a strategic cooperative partnership yesterday. It marks that the development of the bilateral relationship has stepped up to a new stage.

Li Keqiang noted that China and Sri Lanka enjoy broad prospects for cooperation with highly complementary economies. The two sides need to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, to formulate a bilateral economic cooperation plan, to carry out research and discussions on a free trade area agreement and to push for the dynamic balance of bilateral trade. To deepen infrastructure cooperation and to well implement major projects on ports, railways and highways. To expand research and practical cooperation on aerospace and marine science. To expand people-to-people exchanges, to promote cooperation in education and tourism and to push for greater development of the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership.

Rajapakse expressed that Sri Lanka and China enjoy profound friendship and support each other on issues concerning each other's major interests. The Sri Lankan side views China as an important cooperative partner, hoping to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, trade, infrastructure, tourism and education.