Chinese Ambassador underlines strong bonds with Sri Lanka as China donates more vaccine

The friendship between Sri Lanka and China had reached new heights during the Covid-19 pandemic, Qi Zhenhong, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Thursday night at the Bandaranaike International Airport while handing over another batch of Sinopharm vaccine to Sri Lankan officials.

 On 31 March China had donated 600, 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to Sri Lanka and another batch of 500,000 vaccines arrived in the country on Tuesday night.

Ambassador Zhenhong said that COVID-19 is the common enemy of everyone and unity and solidarity are the most powerful weapons fighting the pandemic.

“At the Global Health Summit on May 21st, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China has offered 2 billion US dollars in aid so far to developing countries as well as free vaccines for 80 countries with 43 other countries importing its vaccines. In continued support for global solidarity against COVID-19, China will provide an additional 3 billion US dollars in international aid over the next three years, provide more vaccines to the best of its ability, and support its vaccine companies in transferring technologies to other developing countries including Sri Lanka, and carrying out joint production with them,” he said.    

The ambassador said that on April 27th, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and their Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan counterparts reached a series of important consensus and concrete outcomes, on jointly responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering the economy. The arrival of the vaccines yesterday is a direct delivery of their consensus and outcomes.

 “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, China and Sri Lanka have always supported and helped each other, lifting our traditional friendship to a new height. As a good neighbour, good friend and good partner of Sri Lanka through thick and thin, no matter what in the past, present or future, as long as something is beneficial to Sri Lanka, China will never be absent. As long as some work delivers benefits to the Sri Lankan people, China will not hesitate to do it,” Ambassador Zhenhong said.

 Minister of Health, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, State Minister of Pharmaceuticals Production, Prof. Channana Jayasumana, Minister of Sports, Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Tourism, Prasanna Ranatunga, State Minister of Aviation D.V Chanaka, President’s advisor Lalith Weeratunga and Airport Chairman Major Genaral (ret) G.A Chandrasiri were present at the airport to receive the vaccines.