Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse told a visiting Chinese communist party delegation that the two countries are tested friends and China will always have Sri Lanka’s unwavering support on the One-China policy.
Rajapakse made the remarks on Friday, September 4, at a meeting with the visiting delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Party chief of China's Tianjin municipality Zhang Gaoli.
The delegation was in Sri Lanka on a two-day good will visit at the invitation of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headed by Rajapakse.
Rajapakse expressed his country’s gratitude to China for assistance provided towards the economic and social development of the island and declared the friendly relationship between the two countries has stood long test and the two countries are tested friends.
Gaoli congratulated the massive achievement made by the Sri Lankan government on national reconciliation and the development of the country and thanked the Sri Lankan government for its firm support for the Chinese government's stance on the issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and human rights.
China’s diplomatic support helped Sri Lanka block a Human Rights Council resolution at the United Nations in May this year deploring the gross human rights abuses committed by the Sri Lanka security forces against Tamils.
Gaoli also reaffirmed the Chinese government’s support for Rajapakse's efforts to defend Sri Lanka’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, a former Australian diplomat warned that western inaction over Sri Lanka’s intransigence in adhering to international humanitarian norms and shift towards China could be detrimental to Indian and western interests.
Speaking at an event held at The University of Sydney last week, to launch of the Sri Lankan Human Rights project, a joint initiative between the Centre for Peace And Conflict Studies (CPACS) and the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ) with the support of Amnesty International, Bruce Haigh warned that Sri Lanka may become “a vassal state of China.. not averse to carrying out acts of terror and in the future that may be directed towards India in ways to be determined by the Chinese".
We need your support. Every contribution counts.
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.