President says Sri Lanka will work with friendly countries to maintain maritime cooperation

Boao, Hainan: Sri Lanka as a maritime nation with natural ecological advantages will work in tandem with friendly countries to maintain cooperation in the maritime age, President Maithripala Sirisena said on Saturday.
Delivering a speech at the Opening Plenary of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015, Boao, Hainan Province, China, Saturday, the President said the notable disparity in the decree of intra-regional integration calls for a new thinking on Asian growth strategy and more cooperative partnership among the community of Asia.
Noting that the Asian region was still largely dependent on extra-regional markets for its final exports and lacks significant counterparts within the region, President Sirisena pointed out that simplified trade and reducing non-tariff barriers were vital in order to enhance connectivity.
Developing appropriate public policies and strategies to respond to the challenges while taking into consideration the specific differences in respective countries was needed to achieve a community of common destiny for Asia, the President said adding that Sri Lanka was committed to such cooperation and collective action within the community of Asian nations.
Speaking of Sri Lanka’s own goals, the President said his Government was implementing an ambitious 100-day program, inclusion of constitutional reforms to usher in a new political culture, as well as achieving lasting national reconciliation among all communities.
Highlighting that Sri Lanka was currently identified as a country with relatively high growth among emerging market economies, the President expressed hope that Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Agreement with China, currently under negation, would provide further inputs for value addition and economic cooperation in the region.
He noted that Sri Lanka’s inbound tourism from China had increased significantly, and Asian countries ranked among the top investors in Sri Lanka. “This important forum can play a significant role to achieve our collective vision of an Asian community of common destiny,” the President said.