China, Sri Lanka’s Closest Ally

China-Sri Lanka relations could be traced back to more than 2，000 years. Recorded history reports of Sri Lankan envoys visiting the Chinese court in the 1st and 2nd centuries. Some believe that this practice must have even existed long before that. Sri Lankan delegates who visited Claudius Court had reported of China-Sri Lanka trade relations to the Roman emperor.

The gradual spread of Buddhism to these East Asian regions was also another incentive for the development of this relationship. In 411 AD the famous Chinese Buddhist traveller Fa Hsien visited the Island and stayed here for two years at Anuradhapura doing research on Buddhism. According to him Chinese traders had come to Sri Lanka bringing Chinese merchandise. In his travel account Fa Hsien recorded of an incident that had taken place at Abayagiriya， Anuradhapura.

“When suddenly by the side of this jade image (of the Buddha， of Abayagiri Vihara， Anuradhapura)， he saw a merchant make an offering of a white silk fan from China. His feelings overcame him， and his eyes filled with tears.”

The biography of Bikkunis written in the sixth century by Pao Chang refers to nuns who went from Sri Lanka to inaugurate an order of nuns there in 435 AD. This had taken place under the auspices of the Sinhala monarch. When I visited China in 1997 I noticed the following inscription on the wall of a Yuan Tong temple in Kunming.

“A sarira of Lord Buddha’s teeth was greeted and once worshiped there.”

I wonder whether this had any connection to the replica that had been sent by King Mahanama to China in 428 AD.

Trade relations had existed from time immemorial between China and Sri Lanka. Ships had arrived in Sri Lanka from Guangzhou with merchandise such as silk and sandal wood， and Sri Lanka had exported gems， precious stones and ivory to China.

Because of Sri Lanka’s strategic position in the sea route between China and the West there had been trade links between the Island and China from very early centuries. Admiral Zheng He， legendary Chinese navigator in six of his voyages， visited Sri Lanka and during one of his visits he held a religious ceremony at Sri Pada sacred mountain. The things that were offered at this religious ceremony are found in an inscription that was erected at the Galle harbour.

After the 15th century China-Sri Lanka ties did not take place on a regular basis. But yet there were contacts between the two countries at a low intensity and these were recorded in the accounts maintained by the courts of the Chinese emperors.

China-Sri Lanka relations gathered momentum after both countries gained independence. Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China.

The Rubber Rice Pact signed on December 17， 1951 was another significant event which made the two countries come closer. Sri Lanka signing the said Rubber Rice Pact， irrespective of American opposition was highly appreciated by the then Chinese leaders. When diplomatic relations were initiated by Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1956 the relations between the two countries became very warm and it laid the foundation for cooperation in several fields.

It was a Chinese aircraft that landed in Sri Lanka before all， when the Tsunami devastated coastal regions of Sri Lanka. The Panadura fisheries harbour that was totally destroyed by the Tsunami was reconstructed with Chinese assistance and was commissioned by the Chinese premier when he visited Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was one of the countries which took the initiative that China should be given the rightful place in the U.N.， which China later succeeded.

Premier Zhou Enlai personally thanked Sri Lanka for the role it played during this process. It was China that gave its whole-hearted support to the conception that the Indian Ocean should be declared a peace zone. This concept was mooted by then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

The bonds of friendship were further strengthened by an array of state visits by leaders of both countries. Premier Zhou Enlai visited Sri Lanka twice in 1957 and 1964. The late Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike visited China in 1963 and 1972. The people of China still hold Mrs. Bandaranaike in very high esteem.

China is one of the main countries that provide aid to Sri Lanka in numerous ways. The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) and Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre bear ample testimony for the excellent relationships between the two countries. The BMICH was built at a cost of around Rs. 35 million in 1971. The superior courts complex that was built on a personal request of the late President J. R. Jayawardena was an embodiment of the success of the China-Sri Lanka relations. Further more China donated USD 20 million for the cultural centre to be built near the Vihara Maha Devi Park.

In addition to that China provides scholarships for Sri Lankan students in the disciplines of medicine， engineering， etc. Up to last year China granted 100 such scholarships and these were the largest number granted by any single county.

While visiting China in 2006 I had the opportunity of meeting 8 Sri Lankan students studying at the Nanjing Normal University. They said that they were extremely satisfied with the facilities provided by their university. There are no strings attached to any of the assistance provided by China to Sri Lanka and their intentions have been sincere and open， right throughout.

Finally I have to say that I have seen so many changes in China. Amidst all these changes there is one element of Chinese life that remains constant. It is the hospitality of the Chinese people.

Economists predict that China would become the economic superpower of the world by 2020， yet with all these achievements the mighty China still remains as the best friend of Sri Lanka who always responds positively to our calls when we are in distress.

The author is former secretary of the Sri Lanka China Society.