COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A delegation from the Communist Party of China is expected to visit Sri Lanka soon to brief members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the party at the core of the governing National People’s Power coalition, on the Chinese party’s approach to internal discipline and party building, according to the J.V.P.’s general secretary, Tilvin Silva.
Mr. Silva said in a Facebook post that he had been told of the planned visit during a meeting on Thursday with China’s ambassador, Wei Huaxiang, at the J.V.P.’s headquarters in Pelawatte, on the outskirts of Colombo. He did not say when the delegation would arrive or who would lead it.
Mr. Silva wrote that the two sides discussed at length the decisions of the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which ended in Beijing on Oct. 29. That session adopted a resolution on what the party calls “persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance,” its term for internal discipline and anti-corruption work. According to Mr. Silva, the ambassador explained the party’s commitment to maintaining strict self-discipline and its approach to party building.
The delegation is expected to explain those matters further and to brief J.V.P. members on them, Mr. Silva wrote.
The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening relations between Sri Lanka and China, he wrote. Mr. Wei said China would give its full support to expanding cooperation in investment, technology, transport, education, health and culture.
Mr. Silva said he thanked China for its support to Sri Lanka’s economic and technology sectors. He wrote that he also spoke about relations between the J.V.P. and the Chinese Communist Party and about the importance of the Chinese party’s experience in party building.
Four Chinese Embassy officials attended: Mei Jing, a counselor; Qin Ligong, head of the political section; Jin Enze, a second secretary; and Li Jiani, an embassy officer.
It was Mr. Wei’s second visit to the J.V.P. headquarters since he presented his credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Aug. 25. He met Mr. Silva there on Aug. 31, when the two discussed the government’s anti-corruption drive and how Sri Lanka might draw on China’s experience in reducing poverty. In June, his predecessor, Qi Zhenhong, discussed with Mr. Silva educational programs that China runs for members and activists of the J.V.P. and the N.P.P.
China and Sri Lanka will mark 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2027, along with the 75th anniversary of the 1952 Rubber-Rice Pact.
