Chinese President Xi Jinping makes an historic visit to Sri Lanka today to tighten economic and diplomatic ties in the region.

Xi is the first Chinese president to visit Sri Lanka in almost thirty years, marking a state visit local media dub as historical.

Speaking at a press briefing in Colombo, Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka, Wu Jianghao, said Xi's visit will lay out the future of bilateral relations between the two states. It marks a milestone in China-Sri Lanka relations which, according to Wu, have been historically friendly.

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Wu added that the China-Sri Lanka ties are built on high mutual political trust and have seen massive cooperation projects in recent years.

China is considered Sri Lanka's largest investor and President Xi seeks to further ties with the island as he launches the construction of an offshore port in Colombo worth US$1.4 billion.

According to the Chinese ambassador, the China Harbour Company Limited seeks to reclaim more than 276 hectares of sea area for this project, which would amount to a total investment of US$13 billion after its completion.

Two thirds of the area will be reserved for the Sri Lankan government to develop, reported Asian Tribune.

The mega port will be built next to US$500 million worth Chinese-run container terminal, which according to AFP, would be a stark reminder of China's growing influence in the region.

Twenty other bilateral agreements covering political, social, economic and cultural ties will be signed during Xi's two-day visit, added Wu.

Sri Lanka is President Xi's third stop in the four-nation tour launched early last week.

The tour includes visits to Takijistan where the Chinese president sought to build stronger bilateral ties with the Tajik leaders for the next five years.

This was followed by talks in Maldives on Monday where Xi successfully courted Maldives' backing for the strategic regional trade routes the president has been trying to secure.

President Xi's tour will culminate in India where the visit is expected to create "substantial" results, India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said early last week.

TagsSri Lanka visit, China state visits