Poverty relief assistants Liu Ying (1st L) and He Changle (2nd L), as well as village officers, help carry melons planted by villagers in Dongqin Village, Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)
Having visited China several times over more than three decades, Abeywardana said the example set by the CPC has inspired the Chinese people to action.
COLOMBO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The "conviction, commitment and sacrifice" of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led to China's success in eradicating poverty, Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has said.
"It's amazing the development you see if you go inside the country," especially in rural areas, said Abeywardana in an interview with Xinhua.
Having visited China several times over more than three decades, Abeywardana said the example set by the CPC has inspired the Chinese people to action.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more than 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty, representing over 70 percent of global poverty reduction.
Villagers harvest fresh peppers at Qinggangba Village, Tangtou Township in Sinan County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)
Notably, over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million of impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have been lifted above it, according to the Chinese government.
Sri Lanka and China have long-standing bonds of friendship, the speaker said. He called for more dialogue with his Chinese counterparts as well as more frequent visits to China by Sri Lankan policymakers to learn from China's development success.
Aerial photo taken on Sept. 23, 2020 shows the construction site of the green garden areas of the Colombo Port City in Colombo, Sri Lanka.(China's CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd./Handout via Xinhua)
Sri Lanka-China development projects have been formulated on a win-win basis, Abeywardana said, adding that Port City Colombo, a flagship Belt and Road project, is the biggest investment in the country's history and its land reclamation has expanded the country's geography.
"I believe very soon there will be huge investment coming into Sri Lanka that will be a big economic boost," he said.