China and Sri Lanka are traditional friendly neighbors. On 7th Feburary 1957, China officially established diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka. Since then, the two sides have always understood and supported each other on issues involving core interests and major concerns. In 2013, the leaders of two sides jointly elevated China-Sri Lanka relations to the strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincere mutual assistance and enduring friendship. In recent years, China and Sri Lanka have frequent high-level exchanges, enhance political mutual trust, and carry on cooperation closely in fields such as economy, trade, and humanities.

In March 2024, Prime Minister Gunawardana officially visited China and attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024. In July, Speaker Abeywardena visited China to attend the 8th China South Asia Exposition. In September, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang respectively sent congratulatory messages to the new President of Sri Lanka, Disanayaka, and the new Prime Minister, Amarasuriya, on their inauguration. 

In January 2025, President Disanayaka paid a state visit to China. During the visit, President Disanayaka held talks with President Xi Jinping, and met with H.E. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council and H.E. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The two sides had in-depth exchanges of views and reached extensive common understandings on deepening traditional friendship and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and multi-sectoral practical cooperation between China and Sri Lanka, and on regional and international issues of mutual interest. The two sides agreed to carry forward the spirit of independence, self-reliance, solidarity and mutual assistance enshrined in the Rubber-Rice Pact, follow the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual support, win-win cooperation and common development, stay committed to deepening the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership based on sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship, and jointly build a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future, to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples. The two sides signed cooperation documents, in the areas of agriculture, tourism, livelihood assistance, the media and other areas. 

Economic and trade cooperation of the two countries has yielded fruitful results. China is Sri Lanka's second largest trading partner and second import source. Cooperation on major projects is the highlight of China-Sri Lanka relations. Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port have become flagship projects of the Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries. China and Sri Lanka also carried out active inter-party, people-to people and military exchanges.

Since 2022, Sri Lanka has experienced the most serious economic crisis since the founding of the country, resulting in great hardship for the people. China paid close attention to the difficulties and challenges faced by Sri Lanka and had been providing continuous assistance to Sri Lanka's economic and social development within its capacity.