Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi on Friday held separate meetings with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The two sides discussed closer cooperation in the post-pandemic era.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), arrived in the island nation on Thursday for an official visit.

It's the first leg of his five-day visit. He will also travel to United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Serbia.

Yang hailed the traditional friendship between the two countries, especially during the time when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the world.

The two countries, as strategic cooperation partners, should continue to maintain high-level exchanges and consolidate political mutual trust, Yang said.

China will continue to push forward cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and advance cooperation ranging from trade to tourism, agriculture and education, he added.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka will firmly commit itself to deepening friendship with China, and is willing to make every effort to press forward the key BRI cooperation projects such as the Colombo Port City and the comprehensive development of the Hambantota Harbor.

During talks with Yang, Prime Minister Mahindra Rajapaksa thanked China's support in combating the coronavirus, saying China's strong support in various fields has helped Sri Lanka strengthen its capacity to resume work and production amid the pandemic.

Sri Lanka will work with China to maintain the firm mutual support, and welcomes more Chinese companies to invest and do business, he said, while hoping for increased bilateral people-to-people exchanges in the future.