Beijing says it will stand firm beside its neighbors

China will stand with Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries to overcome difficulties, be it a natural disaster, financial crisis, or the COVID-19 epidemic, as the country has always done, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Zhao said neighboring countries, including those in South Asia, remain a priority of China's diplomacy, and China has been dedicated to further developing friendships with them.

He made the remarks after Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in an interview on Monday that China appears to be shifting its strategic focus toward Southeast Asia and Africa, and South Asian countries in financial trouble are not getting the same attention from Beijing as before.

"China and South Asian countries are friendly neighbors with a shared future," said Zhao, noting that China has been closely following the difficulties and challenges faced by Sri Lanka and has been providing assistance for the country's economic and social development to the best of its abilities.

The spokesman said the Chinese government has announced that it would provide emergency humanitarian assistance worth 500 million yuan ($74.74 million) to Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the country's most severe economic crisis, featuring shortages of foreign reserves, fuel and other essential supplies.

On June 3, the first batch of emergency humanitarian medicine aid from China arrived at Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport. And the first batch of rice has been shipped, Zhao said.