The signing of nine new agreements between China and Sri Lanka took place on Tuesday (March 26) under the patronage of Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.The Prime Minister paid floral tributes to the martyred war heroes at the Monument to the People’s Heroes at Tiananmen Square, and after receiving the guard of honour from the Chinese military, bilateral discussions commenced.Later, in the bilateral talks held in the Great Hall in Beijing, more attention was paid to increasing overall cooperation in the social, cultural, educational, and agricultural sectors in addition to economic cooperation.The Prime Ministers of the two countries confirmed that a new chapter in the long-term friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and China will begin through the nine memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries.Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake signed the agreements on behalf of Sri Lanka, and the secretaries of nine ministries signed on behalf of China.A group including Ministers of the People’s Republic of China, Sri Lankan State Ministers Shehan Semasinghe and Ashoka Priyantha, and MP Yadamini Gunawardena participated in this event.