By: Asela Kuruluwansha
KANDY, Sri Lanka — China’s outgoing ambassador to Sri Lanka said Beijing was in full agreement with the policies of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government and would continue supporting the country’s development, as he prepared to leave the island after a six-year diplomatic posting.
The ambassador, Qi Zhenhong, made the remarks during farewell visits on Friday to the chief Buddhist prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri chapters in Kandy.
Speaking to reporters after the meetings, Mr. Qi said the Chinese government “fully agreed” with the policies pursued by Sri Lanka’s current administration and that the country was making progress through their implementation.
He said there should be no doubt that China would continue to support Sri Lanka’s development, as it had done in the past.
Mr. Qi, who is expected to leave Sri Lanka after completing his tenure on July 31, described the country as his “second home” and said he was departing with a sense that there was still more work to be done.
“I feel as though there was more I could have done,” he said, according to remarks reported after the meeting.
Mr. Qi said Sri Lanka had endured several crises during his tenure and that China had stood by the country and provided assistance during those periods. He also thanked the Sri Lankan government, political parties and the public for the support extended to him during his posting.
The ambassador said ties between China and Sri Lanka, which he described as two Buddhist countries, had continued to deepen and that he saw no reason for the longstanding friendship between them to be undermined.
During his visit to the Malwathu Maha Viharaya, Mr. Qi met the Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera, the chief prelate of the Malwathu Chapter, who praised the ambassador’s contribution to strengthening relations between Sri Lanka and China.
The prelate cited Chinese assistance to Sri Lanka, including the provision of school uniforms and support extended during times of crisis, and said Mr. Qi had carried out his diplomatic responsibilities with dedication.
The Chinese government’s decision to keep Mr. Qi in Sri Lanka for six years reflected the manner in which he had performed his duties, the prelate said, adding that he would have welcomed the ambassador remaining in the country until his retirement.
Mr. Qi later visited the Asgiri Maha Viharaya and received the blessings of the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayake Thera, the chief prelate of the Asgiri Chapter.
The Asgiri prelate also praised Mr. Qi’s work in Sri Lanka and his efforts to maintain close relations with the country’s leading Buddhist institutions.
Mr. Qi’s departure will bring to an end a tenure that spanned one of the most turbulent periods in Sri Lanka’s recent history, including a severe economic collapse, political upheaval and a change of government. Throughout those years, China remained one of Sri Lanka’s most consequential economic and diplomatic partners, making the future direction of the relationship an important test for the Dissanayake administration.
