BEIJING — Premier Li Keqiang and his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Feb 7 exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between their countries.

Since they set up formal ties in 1957, China and Sri Lanka have witnessed the sound and stable development of their relations, which have become increasingly stronger, Premier Li said in a message.

In recent years, the two countries, taking the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity, have broadened cooperation and their relations enjoy good prospects, he said.

China is willing to work with Sri Lanka to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen win-win cooperation so that the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership can achieve more accomplishments, the Premier said.

For his part, Wickremesinghe said the Sri Lanka-China friendship, which has continued for centuries through the ancient maritime silk road, has been further strengthened under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative has also provided opportunities for the two countries to explore new areas of cooperation, the prime minister added.

Sri Lanka will work with China to continuously deepen bilateral ties and broaden cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples, Wickremesinghe said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient land and maritime trade routes.