The Chinese Embassy to Sri Lanka and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) have made donations to a rural school in Kalutara, 40 km south of Colombo

According to Xinhua, the donations are part of the ongoing efforts China has been making to support the South Asian country's education sector especially in rural areas, according to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy on Friday.

At a donation ceremony held Thursday in Kalutara, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang said China and Sri Lanka are traditional friends and China stands ready to help Sri Lanka.

Around 300 sets of pencil cases and backpacks were provided to students of the school which is located near the country's historic Fa-Hien caves at the ceremony.

Ambassador Yi said the Chinese government constructed a friendship village near the caves and the main building of the school around 30 years ago.

Now China would like to continue this friendship by further donations, renovating the school building and building a play ground inside the school.

At the ceremony, scholarships were also handed over to the students by CMEC. The scholarships were donated to the school annually since 2014.

CMEC has helped Sri Lanka develop many projects such as the first coal power plant in the country.