Sri Lanka, China commemorate 65th anniversary of Rubber-Rice Pact

COLOMBO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka and China on Monday exchanged plaques of friendship commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact agreement which was signed between the two countries in 1952.

The celebratory event was held in capital Colombo and attended by Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka Pang Chunxue and relatives of both Sri Lankan and Chinese ministers who signed the pact 65 years ago.

Jayasuriya said at the event that the friendship between China and Sri Lanka had strengthened since the signing of the agreement, and he thanked China for always supporting the island country.

"I would not really call the Pact a trade agreement but I would call this an agreement of friendship. At that time, in 1952, rice had become a very politically sensitive commodity in Sri Lanka and we were facing a severe shortage," Jayasuriya said.

The friendship between China and Sri Lanka dates back to a long time ago and is stepping into a new phase under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, said Pang. Enditem