UNP has always worked to deepen ties with China : Wajira

Colombo, July 03 (Daily Mirror) - Chairman of the UNP Wajira Abeywardena said his party had always worked to deepen friendship with China, and under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka threw its weight behind the Belt and Road Initiative as one of its earliest partners and advanced the Colombo Port City, the most ambitious investment project in the nation's history.

Making his remarks at the function to mark the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), he said, "I extend our warmest congratulations to the Party, the Government, and the people of China, and in particular to President Xi Jinping, to whom our Party has conveyed its respectful good wishes by letter on this historic occasion."

He said, "Over more than a century, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people on a remarkable journey—from standing up, to growing prosperous, to becoming strong. With President Xi Jinping at its core, China has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, a feat without parallel in human history. It is an achievement that commands the admiration and respect of friends such as ourselves.

The friendship between Sri Lanka and China reaches back across the centuries—to the days when the Chinese Buddhist monk Fa-Hien journeyed to our island in search of the sacred teachings of the Lord Buddha. In the modern era, that friendship was renewed by a United National Party government, when, in 1952, Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake concluded the historic Rubber–Rice Pact, at a time when few others would stand with China. That bond of mutual respect has endured for more than seventy years.

The warmth of that friendship is written into the landmarks of our nation—the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, the Superior Courts Complex, the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, and the Gin Ganga flood protection scheme that has safeguarded thousands of families in the south. Each stands today as a gift of the Chinese people, and none would have been possible without their generosity.

The United National Party has always worked to deepen this friendship. Under the leadership of H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka joined the Belt and Road Initiative as one of its earliest partners and advanced the Colombo Port City, the most ambitious investment project in our nation's history. And when Sri Lanka faced its worst economic crisis in 2022, China stood among the partners who supported the recovery that President Wickremesinghe set in motion. Throughout, our Party has upheld, without wavering, Sri Lanka's firm commitment to the One China policy.

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. In these uncertain times, China has chosen openness over isolation—for, as President Xi Jinping has said, openness brings progress, while isolation leaves one behind. Through the Belt and Road Initiative and its vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, China has worked side by side with nations across the world for shared success.

We believe that to stand with China today is to stand with opportunity.

Our two Parties, too, share lasting ties—ties that predate even the establishment of diplomatic relations between our nations. We look forward to sharing our experience of governance and deepening this partnership further. As Sri Lanka continues its economic recovery, this relationship matters more than ever, and the United National Party has been, is, and will remain a steadfast partner in pursuing the opportunities ahead for the benefit of both our peoples."