'China, a benign and sincere friend of Sri Lanka'
Text of speech delivered by Foreign Minister
Lakshman Kadirgamar at the unveiling of the bust of the late Premier
Chau En Lai at the BMICH on April 9
This great hall, a work of art and a thing of beauty, in which we
welcome today the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China, His
Excellency Wen Jiabao, is the most visible and dramatic testimony to the
age old friendship between the people of China and the people of Sri
Lanka.
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar |
The offer to build this hall, entirely at China's expense, was a
"spontaneous gesture of goodwill" on the part of the former Chinese
Prime Minister Chou En Lai.
As Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike, then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka,
described the moment in her speech at the opening of the BMICH on May
18, 1973: (I quote) "Almost at the conclusion of my discussions with him
during his visit to Sri Lanka in February 1963, he spontaneously asked
me whether there is any special assistance that we require. This
question he asked after he had already pledged substantial assistance to
us.
When this question was thus put to me I remembered my late husband's
desire to have an international conference hall built, and I must
confess that I rather hesitatingly expressed this to the Chinese Prime
Minister. I was indeed surprised by the very prompt and sincere response
for, without hesitation, he said "yes, I shall be very glad to gift a
hall in memory of my late friend. Only, I ask of you that you should
name it after him." (unquote).
After extensive consultations the Governments of Sri Lanka and China
came to an agreement on the hall project and a design was prepared by a
joint team of engineers and technical personnel. The foundation stone
for the hall was laid by Madam Bandaranaike on March 15, 1965.
However, thereafter political developments intervened, there was a
change of government and the project was put on hold and it was not
resumed until Madam Bandaranaike was re-elected Prime Minister in 1970.
Work proceeded apace and was completed in February 1973. This hall was
ceremonially opened on May 17, 1973.
Prime Minister Chou En Lai was unable to attend the opening. China
was represented by a 24-member delegation led by the Vice Chairman of
the State Council of the National People's Congress Marshall Shu. I can
do no better today than recall, and endorse, the words of Madam
Bandaranaike in her speech at the opening ceremony.
She thanked China for "this outstanding gift" as well as other
generous assistance, referred to the "warm and cordial relations"
between Sri Lanka and China and hoped that the hall would be (quote) "an
abiding embodiment of Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike's faith in
internationalism and the brotherhood of man, as well as the realization
of a wish which was dear to his heart that Sri Lanka could some day
serve as a meeting ground for the nations of the world". (unquote) Prime
Minister Chou, in a message read by Marshall Shu, described Prime
Minister Solomon Bandaranaike as (I quote) "an outstanding statesman"
who "enthusiastically promoted and developed the friendly relations and
cooperation between Sri Lanka and China and was a sincere friend of the
Chinese people.
He believed that the hall would be recorded in the annals of Sri
Lanka as a symbol of the friendship between Sri Lanka and China."
It is a pleasure and privilege to have you with us today to unveil,
in this historic hall, a sculpture of that great internationalist,
statesman and visionary, Chou En Lai, your distinguished predecessor.
For three decades it had escaped the notice of our two governments that
no sculpture of any of the great leaders of China of a bygone generation
had been place in this complex of buildings to commemorate the
association of these buildings with the magnificent munificence of
China. Nor indeed is there any reference to China in the name of this
building.
These grave omissions will be repaired today when Your Excellency
unveils the sculpture of Chou En Lai, and the plaque that adds to the
name of this building the words "Sri Lanka China Friendship Centre",
thus retaining the reference to Prime Minister Bandaranaike which Prime
Minister Chou En Lai would have wished to preserve while recording for
posterity a simple truth - that this building is indeed a monument to
the friendship between China and Sri Lanka - a truth which although
self-evident nevertheless requires to be explicitly stated.
In the three decades that have elapsed since this building was
formally opened and named, the relations between China and Sri Lanka
have expanded exponentially in diverse directions.
When a relationship is based on mutual respect and affection, the
size, importance and power of one of the two countries in that
relationship does not have a disproportionate influence on the other.
China has never sought to influence the domestic politics of Sri Lanka.
Over the years China has proved to be benign and sincere with no
ulterior motives for befriending Sri Lanka. She has never tried to
dominate, undermine or destabilize Sri Lanka.
She has come to our rescue with timely assistance on several
occasions when there were threats to Sri Lanka's national security and
territorial integrity.
"There have been no strings attached to Chinese aid. When a
relationship between two countries is not based on dependence, it is
strengthened by the fact that it is based on the mutual recognition of
equality. Sri Lanka in its own way has been helpful to China. The
rubber-rice pact of 1951 has been referred to.
In more recent times Sri Lanka has in a modest way been of assistance
to China in international fora especially in the field of human rights
where Sri Lanka, taking the view that China was being unfairly treated
in certain quarters, has been her steadfast ally. It is good for a
relationship when both countries are able to contribute something
towards sustaining and enhancing it. Sri Lanka has remained steadfast
and unequivocal in respect of its One China Policy.
We believe that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People's
Republic of China - something which the United Nations has reaffirmed
each year. We support China's policy of peaceful reunification and
China's efforts to promote cross-straits links for the benefit of the
Chinese people and their social and economic development. Sri Lanka has
expressed its support for China's recent anti-secessionist law.
It is in the light of these considerations that Sri Lanka observes
with admiration China's steady, peaceful ascent to the summit of
economic power. Long may the People's Republic of China flourish and
prosper. Long may the friendship between China and Sri Lanka grow in
strength and vigour. |