Colombo: Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara, graced the 98th Anniversary celebration of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as the Chief Guest. The event was held on 30 July at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) was also in attendance. The dignitaries were warmly welcomed by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Qi Zhenhong.
According to Ministry of Defence – Sri Lanka, addressing the distinguished gathering, the Deputy Minister conveyed warm greetings to the PLA on behalf of the President of Sri Lanka and commended the PLA’s 98 years of history, resilience, and evolution in overcoming the challenges of modern warfare and security. He highlighted the friendship between Sri Lanka and China, forged through centuries of cultural exchange and strengthened over 68 years of formal diplomatic relations.
He also recalled the landmark state visit of His Excellency the President of Sri Lan
ka to the People’s Republic of China in January this year, hosted at the invitation of His Excellency the President of the People’s Republic of China. The visit reaffirmed the shared values of independence, self-reliance, solidarity, and mutual assistance as enshrined in the historic Rubber-Rice Pact, while paving the way to further deepen the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two nations.
The Deputy Minister expressed appreciation for China’s defence cooperation with Sri Lanka, acknowledging its assistance during the three-decade conflict and its role in post-conflict development initiatives that uplifted the livelihoods of war-affected communities. He also commended the PLA’s continued support in capacity building, training, and professional exchange programmes, particularly in strengthening the operational capabilities of the Sri Lankan tri-forces.
The event was attended by former Presidents, Ministers, members of the diplomatic corps, tri-forces commanders, Defence Attaché of the Chinese Emb
assy in Sri Lanka, Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, senior military officers, and other distinguished guests.