Hangzhou will send a delegation of experts to study the water resources of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka and assist in its development. Hangzhou Mayor Cai Qi and Kotte Mayor Swarnalatha Silva reached the agreement during the bilateral discussion of the 2009 Hangzhou International Sister City Mayors Conference.

Hangzhou Mayor Cai Qi made a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2009 Hangzhou International Sister City Mayors Conference.

The agreement is a climax in the Sister City ties, which was established in 2008 on the initiative of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Originally a shallow sea inlet due to low-lying silt, the 5.68 square kilometers of water is now known as the famous “West Lake”.

The Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government has spent over 8 billion yuan on developing the West Lake. It has won many awards from China as well as the United Nations.

The Sri Lankan delegation attended the 2nd Hangzhou International Sister City Mayors Conference and the 11th West Lake Expo 2009. During their stay they also met officials from the Hangzhou CPPCC, Administration Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Spot, Hangzhou Landscapes and Cultural Relics Bureau and Bing Jiang District.

Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, also known as Sri Jayawardenapura or Kotte, is the administrative capital of Sri Lanka. It is located beyond the eastern suburbs of the commercial capital Colombo and is often called New Capital territory.

Kotte is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious city. There are small communities of people with Chinese, Malay and Indian origins living there as well as a small foreign expatriate community.

By Paul