Monday Dec 23, 2024
Monday Dec 23, 2024
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UNP Leader and Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Following are excerpts from UNP Leader and Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s speech recently at the Sri Lanka Communist Party organised ceremony to mark Sri Lanka-China diplomatic relations and the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China.
I must first thank the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Communist Party for inviting me and others to commemorate this occasion which is written to mark one of the historic relationships that we had. Venerable members of the clergy, the leaders of political parties, former President, Your Excellency the Ambassador for the People’s Republic of China, Your Excellencies, and friends.
We are here when we mentioned the two occasions, the 70th anniversary and 60th anniversary. There is one issue, two events which we must remember which preceded these agreements. On 4 February 1948, D.S. Senanayake our Prime Minister, hoisted the lion flag to declare an independent Sri Lanka.
On 1 October 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong hoisted the new Chinese flag to declare the People’s Republic. These two events were broadcast together when Sri Lanka recognised the People’s Republic of China. It was a difficult time; Sri Lankans had taken part in and sacrificed their lives in World War II. Sri Lanka, Mongolia and China were still not members of the UN. Our main struggle was to become a member of the UN. Nevertheless, it didn’t take more than two or three years when we struck our first Trade Agreement in Sri Lanka, the Rubber-Rice Pact with China.
In this atmosphere which was hostile to China it was difficult for another country to enter into an arrangement or trade agreement with China. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka did so. This was followed up with the Colombo Powers Meeting in 1954 in Colombo, when it was decided that China also should be invited. We were invited for the “Bandung Conference”. The Bandung conference became an occasion and when our Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala was able to meet with the Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai.
There was the famous lunch which has been referred to in many books of the Five Colombo Powers; China, Philippines and Thailand that took place to discuss the affairs of Asia. Once Sri Lanka was given membership of the United Nations, then we had no problem thereafter, in establishing diplomatic relations and the way was cleared for Sri Lanka to establish diplomatic relations with China.
That task was undertaken by the new Government and the new Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. Not only was China recognised, I remember in 1958 China had a very big exhibition here in the Vihara Maha Devi Park, and I remember as a student, going along to witness this exhibition. The political relations were further enhanced when Mrs. Bandaranaike became the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Economic relations and political relations also developed further with two events, which have one common date. This date is of significant importance to our two parties. On 22 July 1977 your paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping became the Vice Chairman of the Communist Party, again, and took charge of the affairs of China. On the same day, J.R. Jayewardene won the election and became the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
Both were destined to chart a course which changed history. Both countries moved away from centrally planned economies and we moved to other different models in Sri Lanka. The final result was the democratic socialist system with an open market oriented economy. And in the case of China, you had socialism with Chinese characteristics and the socialist market economy. So as these phases were done gradually both in Sri Lanka and China, there were a lot of exchanges.
The first official visit delegation at ministerial level from Sri Lanka was headed by the then Prime Minister, later President R. Premadasa and I was the other minister who went on that delegation. We had the opportunity of visiting there and meeting with the then Chairman of the Communist Party Hua Guofeng. We also had discussions on the economy with Li Xiannian who was a Minister in the Government.
I remember going along and the discussions we had on the occasion. We had to go down the Yangtze River on a petrol boat which I had to take off from China, and in Shanghai we passed that large swamp. Next time I went to Shanghai it was in Pudong city. Similarly, from China we went to Hong Kong. We flew. We went by train and there were large tracts of paddy fields, when I next went to China it was the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Similarly, we also had other occasions when Chinese groups came to Sri Lanka. One of the delegations that looked at the Economic Zones in the Philippines and in Singapore and Sri Lanka had long discussions with our Director General Upali Wijewardena, and this was coordinated by none other than the future President of China Jiang Zemin.
So that is the level of interest that was there between the two countries. When China looked at establishing a new judicial system, we sent all our best lawyers from Sri Lanka headed by H.W. Jayewardene who went to China. That’s why the Chinese Government built the Supreme Court buildings in our two countries. There were many other exchanges we had. But as was mentioned, one of the most important facts was that China became the source of arms for Sri Lanka which was fighting against a number of terrorist groups.
Both Sri Lanka and China recognised firstly, The One China policy, respect to China and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka with regard to our country. This was further cemented when President Jayewardene went to China and met with the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping where the agreement was sealed and much more assistance was made available. I myself, had again visited China in 1987 carrying a message from President Jayewardene to the Chinese leadership. On that occasion the reply was given by your Senior Leader Wan Li and I carried that message back to Colombo.
So, there were many exchanges that were taking place. I remember that I had the occasion to be in Hong Kong in 1997 when the handing over ceremony took place and Hong Kong was finally returned to the Chinese state and the Chinese people. We had many more party contacts, the party visited Sri Lanka and discussed with my party and other parties. Similarly, we visited China, but I remember that I did have to visit China as Prime Minister, to explain the peace process to the President Hu Jintao and also to the Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. So with them, we were able to discuss further what was going to take place and I’m thankful to them for the support they gave me.
And then, we had subsequently after 2015 the Government with Maithripala Sirisena, our President, I was the Prime Minister, we had long discussions and occasion to go there to discuss this event, and I must say with your President and General Secretary Xi Jinping and as well as Prime Minister Li. Very well, long-lasting discussions, and I again had the opportunity of taking part in the First Summit of the Belt and Road Initiative. So, we now have this relationship which has gone from political, diplomatic relations to one which is entwined with politics, culture and economics. And we have to take that relationship forward. In this, we have to remember that we were all parties to the commemoration, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China.
The Long March did not end in Beijing. It was the end of one March. And now you begin another Long March. And I think what will be important to China and for all of us is the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will be held in the latter part of this year. And we have very important decisions regarding socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era to realise the second centenary goal, and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation will be set out in detail, and that will be important.
But we have to remember that the Rubber-Rice Pact was the first, I think the first Trade Agreement between two Asian countries, when the world was fully Euro-centric. All our dealings and agreements had to be with Europe. But for the first time we had this economic relationship and that’s the relationship that has gone forward and built up. Today Asia itself is becoming the growth centre of the world. And China is a growth engine there. So, it will be quite important for us to see the developments as the next session of the next Congress of the Chinese Communist Party takes place. Similarly, we are also from the time of Bandung, we have all looked at how Asia should be developed and Bandung itself was the beginning of multilateralism.
So, we are all agreed that multilateralism must prevail in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and multilateralism must guide our thoughts. We can’t move out of it. If so, we will have a world that is certainly more tense and more prone to violence. I wouldn’t like to take any more of your time; I’d like to thank you for having invited me and to remember the relationships we had from the very beginning, from the time of our first Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake and Chairman Mao Zedong to today, and we have no doubt that we will have a much closer relationship in time to come.
