Sri Lanka-China relations back on track

By K. Godage

I am happy to learn that a well-represented private sector delegation led by a Minister and assisted by former Ambassador to China Bernard Goonatilleke will be visiting China to promote private investment in Sri Lanka. 

This represents a refreshing change from the attitude of this Government immediately it took office, when it suspended work on the Port City Project and looked to the West for its external financing needs, only to be disappointed, for the West has not been as ‘helpful’ as China has been over the years, irrespective of which party was in government in this country. China has never said no to any request by us. China has helped us from 1971 when we faced the first insurgency.

China-Sri Lanka relations will rise to new heights as diplomatic relations between the two countries complete 60 years next year, an anniversary to be celebrated.

During President Sirisena’s visit to China last year, and subsequent visit by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to China last April, the leaders of the two countries reached broad consensus on further strengthening traditional bilateral friendship and to forge ahead with cooperation on major projects. This visit came as a result of that broad consensus on cementing the relationship and the invitation extended by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to his Chinese counterpart, a visit which took place this week.

The Chinese are reciprocating the refreshing new approach of present President Maithripala Sirisena himself who mentioned the millennia-long traditional relationship between our two countries. He expressed his appreciation of the assistance given by the Government of China over the years and particularly during the war to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka; he also expressed his appreciation of the support extended by China over the years and also when our country was facing difficulties in international forums.

My thoughts go back many years when I accompanied Minister Kadirgamar on an official visit to China (I have been there no less than eight times); we were asked by President CBK to find out how much we owed China for the assistance given by the State to us over the years (this did not refer to the contracts with Chinese companies who also supplied us arms); when LK asked the President, he turned to his staff who were seated behind and after some minutes replied, “Please inform Madam President that we have not asked.”

Yes, China had not forgotten of how we helped them during the Korean War. Yes it was China that has helped us over the years, it is a valuable friendship, they have assured us many times that they would never give any country to destabilise us because of our friendship with China.

“Chinese goodwill measures bring our two countries together,” said President Maithripala Sirisena, expressing his gratitude for the most recent efforts of the Chinese Government to fight the CKDU, in Sri Lanka by establishing a special hospital for kidney patients. He repeated this when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on him at his residence on 8 July. Foreign Minister Yi appreciated the leadership of President Sirisena in creating the environment for resumption of work of the Port City development project.

Welcoming the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, President Maithripala Sirisena mentioned the millennia-long traditional relationship between our two countries. He further appreciated the assistance given by the Government of China during the last phase of war to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka. 

He also appreciated the support extended by China when our country was facing difficulties in international forums particularly at the UN when the West sought to stop the war at the behest of the Tamil diaspora which was maintaining over twenty Labour Party members in the UK Parliament. Yes China not only supported us with arms but gave us much need political support when we were pilloried in international assemblies. 

While welcoming more public and private Chinese investments in Sri Lanka, our President expressed the importance of working on taking development cooperation further. Let us hope that the Sri Lanka private sector delegation presently visiting China could contribute to restoring our relationship to what it was a few years ago.