Commemoration of 90th anniversary of People’s Liberation Army of China tomorrow in Colombo

The 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) will be commemorated in Colombo tomorrow with a ceremony organised by the Embassy of China in Sri Lanka at the Galle Face Hotel at 7.00 p.m. 

State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene will attend as the Chief Guest while the ceremony will see the participation of around 400 guests from all sections of society, especially from the Government and military.

The Chinese Embassy said on 1 August 1927 the Communist Party of China launched an armed uprising to strive for national independence and the people’s liberation. The day is now known as the Army Day in China. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the PLA has made an indelible historical contribution to the Chinese people’s liberation, socialist construction and reform, safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, maintaining world peace and promoting human progress. The PLA has become world-famous as a formidable, civilised and peaceful military force.

Beginning in late 2015, China began to implement plans for structural military reorganisation, which is the most significant reform of the PLA. Under the principle of the Central Military Commission taking charge of overall military administration and theater commands focusing on combat and different military branches pursuing their own development, the reforms sought to improve leadership administration and command of joint operations. 

Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China’s armed forces will effectively perform their missions in the new historical period, upholding the leadership of the CPC and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, safeguard the important period of strategic opportunities for China’s development, maintain regional and world peace and strive to provide a strong guarantee for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. 

Peace is the common aspiration of mankind and the greatest value of military. Pursuing a security concept featuring common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, China’s armed forces will continue to develop military-to-military relations that are non-aligned, non-confrontational and not directed against any third party. 

PLA will strive to establish fair and effective collective security mechanisms and military confidence-building measures (CBMs), expand military and security cooperation and create a security environment favorable to China’s peaceful development. 

In the past decades, the Chinese military has undertaken more and more peacekeeping, naval escort and international humanitarian assistance, which won more and more praise. China’s armed forces, which has marked 90 years, is committed to the duty of peace, acts as the builders of world peace, the contributors to global development and the defenders of the international order.

“China and Sri Lanka are traditional friendly neighbors and this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Chinese military attaches great importance to improving relations with Sri Lanka’s military and is willing to strengthen exchange and cooperation in areas of college education, troops’ training and maritime safety so as to develop the military-to-military relations compatible with the comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two countries. With the joint efforts by both sides, the bilateral military relations will be promoted to a higher level and more brilliant achievements will be made,” the Chinese Embassy said.