Coronavirus epidemic response China acknowledges SL’s staunch support

MR among one million devotees at Bodhi Pooja

Addressing the 56th Munich Security Conference, Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi has acknowledged the Bodhi Pooja conducted at Abhayarama  Temple in Colombo with the participation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

The Chinese Minister said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa prayed for China at Abhayarama Temple alongside nearly a million Buddhist believers. 

“Russia, Belarus and the ROK swiftly delivered urgent medical supplies to Wuhan through chartered flights. Pakistan, our iron-clad brother, sent us virtually all masks in its stock. At the peak of the outbreak, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia paid a special visit to Beijing to offer his staunch support for China. Through a specially made video, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand conveyed the message that Thailand and China were one family committed to fighting the epidemic. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka prayed for China at Abhayarama Temple in Colombo alongside nearly a million Buddhist believers in his country. Italian President Sergio Mattarella visited a school with a large number of Chinese students and hosted a concert in the Quirinal Palace in support of China’s epidemic response.

“We attend this year’s MSC at an unusual moment as my colleagues and I came straight from a battlefront. Under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Government is engaged in a vigorous effort to combat the sudden outbreak of a novel virus. The 1.4 billion Chinese people are united as one in fighting this ‘war without smoke.’ We resolve to protect the city of Wuhan, protect Hubei Province and protect every fellow countryman who is struggling with the virus. We are determined to fight and win this battle. 

“The challenges the outbreak has posed to China’s economic and social development will be temporary and short-lived. With its strong resilience, potential and vitality, the Chinese economy is well-positioned to overcome all risks and challenges. The fundamentals sustaining sound economic growth have not changed and will not. After the storm comes the rainbow. We are confident that China will emerge stronger from the epidemic. Its pent-up consumer demand and growth potential will be quickly unleashed and China will enjoy more sound and sustainable economic and social development. The Chinese nation has been through all kinds of trials and tribulations in its history, which forged a national character of perseverance and resilience. Fighting this epidemic will be no exception. It will only make us stronger and more tenacious. Our country will march on in more determined strides to usher in moderate prosperity in all respects, to eradicate absolute poverty and to realise the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said.     

1.4bn Chinese people united as one in fighting ‘war without smoke’