Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chen Min-Er and President Maithripala Sirisena have held a detailed discussion on a wide range of subjects on bilateral relations, economic cooperation and regional stability.
 
Mr Chen Min-Er and a CPC delegation called on President Sirisena at the President’s Office yesterday (18).
 
The President thanked China for the support extended to Sri Lanka for over 60 years and made a special mention about the help given to defeat brutal terrorists by supplying modern weapons and standing with Sri Lanka at international forums. “This support will never be forgotten by the Sri Lankan people,”  the President has told Mr Chen Min-Er.
 
Mr Chen Min-Er, in return, has expressed his gratitude to Sri Lanka for the early recognition given to Beijing since the 1950s, accepting the ‘one-China policy’ and starting trade relations under Rubber-Rice Agreement even before establishing diplomatic relations.
 
President Sirisena and Mr Chen Min-Er, have talked about the successful visits of President Xi Jinping to Sri Lanka and President Sirisena to China while agreeing on the fact that the visits have resulted in further strengthening close friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
 
The President has said the current visit of CPC leader shows China’s keen desire to ensure further increase in existing friendly relations and close economic cooperation.
 
They have also discussed increasing ties between CPC and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The CPC delegation requested President Sirisena, who is also the Chairman of SLFP, to send an SLFP delegation to participate in the next CPC Convention. Vice President Nimal Siripala de Silva said that S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike founded the SLFP by incorporating the principle of the middle path with the socialist policies of Chairman Mao Zedong. He said that the SLFP adapted socialism and aligned it into the requirement of the Sri Lankan people.
 
Referring to Mr Chen Min-Er’s expertise in rural poverty eradication programmes, President Sirisena asked about poverty alleviation programmes in China. Mr Chen Min-Er explained in detail that since 2012, poverty was reduced through various programmes to empower rural masses. He has said that President Xi Jinping set targets for officials to achieve poverty reduction goals within a time frame. President Sirisena acknowledged that the Chinese experience would be very useful to similar programmes in Sri Lanka to eradicate poverty.
 
Parliamentarians Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Prof Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa had attended the meeting representing the SLFP while six members of the Chinese Communist Party accompanied Mr Chen Min-Er. Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xeuyuan, Secretary to the President Udaya Seneviratne and Additional Secretary Esala Weerakoon were also present at this event.