China congratulates Gotabaya Rajapaksa on winning Sri Lankan presidential election

BEIJING, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday congratulated Gotabaya Rajapaksa on winning the presidential election to become Sri Lanka's new president.

"China feels happy for Sri Lanka on smoothly holding the presidential election and completing the major domestic political agendas, and extends its heart-felt congratulations to Gotabaya Rajapaksa on winning presidency," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, when asked to comment the outcome of Sri Lankan presidential election at a routine press briefing.

While hailing China and Sri Lanka as strategic cooperative partners featuring sincere, mutual assistance and lasting friendship, Geng said that China is willing to work with Sri Lanka's new leadership and government to jointly carry out the Belt and Road construction with high quality, on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, so as to achieve new progress in development of bilateral ties and bring more tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples.