Sri Lankan ambassador says target of 5 percent 'well-positioned' to be met

China's massive and multifaceted economy is capable of adjusting to any unexpected challenges, and the nation's large middle-income group, fine infrastructure and investment in education and R&D will help sustain its rapid growth, Sri Lanka's top envoy to Beijing said.

Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's ambassador to China, said in an interview after the opening of the annual National People's Congress on Sunday that the world's second-largest economy is well-positioned to meet its target of economic growth, proposed at around 5 percent in the Government Work Report this year.

"It is likely that China's economy will continue to grow, consistent with the set target, in the coming year, as it has done in the past despite the numerous challenges that confronted it," he said after hearing the report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

"The elements that contribute to making a resilient economy (for China) are well in place," he said, citing the nation's large middle-income group, which has exceeded 400 million and its well-funded education and R&D.

The envoy hailed China's achievements over the past decades, including building the world's largest high-speed railway network, over 177,000 kilometers of expressway and airports that are capable of handling 400 million passengers per year.

"Given the rapid urbanization of the population, a concentrated marketplace has been created. All these factors will contribute to China's continuing rapid growth," he said.

Kohona also lauded Beijing's commitment to reform and opening-up, saying that "China is now a vociferous champion of globalization".

Even though the threats of a trade war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its impact on energy and food supplies could affect China's growth outlook, he said China will be able to weather these threats "because it is a massive and multifaceted economy capable of adjusting to any unexpected challenges".

The Sri Lankan ambassador also spoke positively of China's COVID-19 response over the past three years, saying that the nation has adopted a firm and people-centered approach to managing the epidemic.

Its anti-epidemic measures helped the nation to manage the impact of the epidemic without experiencing the widespread deaths and illness experienced elsewhere, including in most developed countries, he said.

He welcomed China's recent adjustment in its COVID-19 response measures and looks forward to the return of Chinese tourists to the South Asian country.

"The movement restrictions have now been relaxed and international travel is possible again," he said, adding that Sri Lanka was among the 20 countries designated by Beijing as part of a pilot program for tour groups.

"China was the main source of global tourists before the epidemic," Kohona said. "We all hope that China, which has withstood the worst effects of COVID-19, will reemerge as the key source of tourists to the world and help the industry, which provides significant income and employment, to recover."