Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa was elected as the new President of the Sri Lanka-China Parliamentary Friendship Association (SLCPFA) yesterday.
The appointment was made at the revival meeting of the Sri Lanka - China Parliamentary Friendship Association chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in Parliament.
Parliamentarian Premnath C. Dolawaththa was appointed the Secretary to the Sri Lanka-China Parliamentary Friendship Association. The Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake and Ambassador Qi Zhenhong was present at the meeting.
While Dr. Upul Galappaththi, Aravindh Kumar and Selvam Adaikalanathan were elected the Deputy Chairmen, Mohomad Muzammil was elected the Deputy Secretary and Ishak Rahuman the Treasurer.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that relations between Sri Lanka and China date back to 206 BC and since the establishment of official diplomatic relations in 1957, there has been a very deep and diverse relationship between the two countries.
The Speaker appreciated the strong support extended by the Chinese Government to Sri Lanka to protect herself from COVID-19 and also stated that China is the primary source of protection of Sri Lanka's foreign reserves.
He said that the visits between the two countries had helped strengthen bilateral relations, citing the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Sri Lanka in 2014 and the visit of former President and current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to China.