Mao Ning

China and Sri Lanka are strategic cooperative partners that help each other with sincerity and enjoy everlasting friendship, and the two countries have close high-level interactions, Mao Ning, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in response to media reports that Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake plans to visit China in mid-January. Information on the visit will be released in due course, Mao added.

China stands ready to maintain the momentum of high-level interactions with Sri Lanka, carry forward the traditional friendship, and expand exchange and cooperation in various fields to deliver more tangible results for the two peoples, Mao added.

Dissanayake on Saturday announced plans for an official visit to China in mid-January, according to Indian media outlet the Hindu. 

"I will be going to China in mid-January," Dissanayake told reporters in Kandy, a central district town.

Dissanayake visited India last week, marking his first overseas trip since assuming the presidency on September 21. 

Dissanayake's visit to India and his plan to visit China indicate that Sri Lanka's foreign policy still seeks to maintain a balance between major powers, avoiding being seen as taking sides, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times, noting that this approach allows Sri Lanka to better safeguard its interests in the current international and regional context.  

Qian said that Dissanayake's decision to make India his first destination for a foreign visit after taking office was aimed at alleviating some of New Delhi's suspicions toward Sri Lanka and continuing to seek cooperation with India.

During Dissanayake's visit to India, the Indian Express cited a statement noting that "India being Sri Lanka's closest maritime neighbor, President Dissanayake reiterated Sri Lanka's stated position of not permitting its territory to be used in any manner inimical to the security of India as well as toward regional stability".

This is seen as a thinly-veiled reference to China's activities in the Indian Ocean region, the report said, adding that it comes amid Chinese ship visits to Sri Lanka and China's development of the Hambantota port in the island nation. 

Some Indian media outlets often adopt an outdated perspective, treating South Asian countries as India's exclusive sphere of influence and frequently criticizing China's legitimate cooperation with the regional nations, said Qian.

In recent years, the cooperation between China and Sri Lanka has developed significantly, especially with the advancement of the high-quality development of Belt and Road, said Qian.

He noted that the collaboration between the two countries has yielded tangible results and has been widely recognized in Sri Lanka. As a result, the relationship with China has been given more attention.