China's Ambassador discusses Tamil aspirations and India during visit to Jaffna

China’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, made a significant visit to the Northern Province, including Jaffna, where he evaded directly answering questions on China’s role in Tamil genocide and welcomed Sri Lanka’s outreach to India.

During his visit, Ambassador Qi engaged with local journalists and reflected on the recent political developments in the region. When asked about Tamil sentiments regarding China’s involvement in the final stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war and its role in addressing Tamil political aspirations, Qi instead highlighted what he saw as progress in the Tamil community's political choices.

“The Tamil community has made the right choice through this election,” Qi stated, referring to the recent success of the National People’s Power (NPP) in Jaffna during the presidential election. He described this as a significant shift in political strategy.

“The fact that the NPP won the election in Jaffna shows that the Tamil community has gone beyond traditional protests. They are now considering the larger national context and striving to foster broader and closer cooperation for the future. We are very pleased to see this, and it is also something China is very happy to see.”

Qi added that this development will lead to a “brighter future”.

While avoiding a direct response to Tamil concerns about China's role during Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil people, Qi emphasized China’s interest in seeing progress on the island. “This demonstrates that the Tamil community has embraced larger aspirations and is looking toward the future. It shows that all groups, ethnicities, religions, and communities are now working together in unity,” Qi remarked.

Speaking on India, Qi said he “learned from the news that a minister has said that President Dissanayake will make his first official visit to India in the middle of December”.

“We are very glad to see this new development because India and Sri Lanka are close neighbours… And when the two countries build relations and economic cooperation, they can deliver more benefits to the people of the country.”

“We also welcome his excellency Dissanayake to visit China at his convenience, because we believe such visit will also enhance our traditional friendship, promote our bilateral economic cooperation and bring many more benefits to the People.”

Qi also visited the Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagam, where he handed over a cheque worth 12 million rupees from the Chinese government as a form of livelihood assistance. The ambassador congratulated the governor on his appointment and expressed the Chinese government’s commitment to contributing to the province's progress. “I am pleased to witness the positive changes in the Northern Province,” said the ambassador, emphasizing China's willingness to continue its support for the region's development.

This is not the first time the ambassador has visited the North-East. In the past, he has undertaken such  'familiarization' visits to the Tamil homeland including recently to Jaffna and Mannar. His previous visit was after a Chinese-funded project to develop three hybrid power plants in Delft Island, Analativu and Nainativu, worth an estimated USD$12 million, was cancelled and reportedly given to India instead.