President Xi Jinping has sent a message to Anura Kumara Dissanayake, congratulating him on his inauguration as president of Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake was sworn in to office on Monday vowing to restore public faith in politics, but said he had no magic solution to the hardships suffered following an unprecedented economic crisis.

The self-avowed Marxist leader of the People's Liberation Front took his oath at the colonial-era Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his nearest rivals in Saturday's vote.

Dissanayaka, the bearded 55-year-old son of a labourer, was sworn in by chief justice Jayantha Jayasuriya in a nationally televised ceremony attended by diplomats, lawmakers, Buddhist and other clergy and the military.

"I am not a conjuror, I am not a magician, I am a common citizen," he said after taking his oath.

"I have strengths and limitations, things I know and things I don't... my responsibility is to be part of a collective effort to end this crisis."

Xi hailed China and Sri Lanka as traditional friendly neighbours, saying that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 67 years ago, the two countries have supported each other, setting a good example of friendly co-existence and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The president also pledged to work with his Sri Lankan counterpart to facilitate more fruitful high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Dissanayaka succeeds outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office at the peak of the financial crisis following the government's first foreign debt default and months of punishing food, fuel and medicine shortages.

Wickremesinghe imposed steep tax hikes and other austerity measures under the terms of an International Monetary Fund bailout. His policies ended the shortages and returned the economy to growth but left millions struggling to make ends meet. (Xinhua & AFP)