The Prime Minister of the Republic of Sri Lanka Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike paid a state visit to the People's Republic of China from June 24 to July 5, 1972 at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China.


During the visit, the Chinese people's great leader Chairman Mao Tsetung met Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and had a cordial and friendly conversation with her. Acting Chairman of the People's Republic of China Tung Pi-wu and Vice-Chairman of the People's Republic of China Soong Ching Ling respectively met Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike.


During their stay in China, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and her party visited Peking, Shenyang, Talien and Shanghai and went to people's communes, factories, a water conservancy project, and other places of interest and historical monuments. The warm and enthusiastic reception accorded to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by the Chinese people proved a visible and impressive reflection of the friendship and affection with which the Chinese people regarded the prime Minister and the Government and the People of Sri Lanka. In the course of her visit, Prime Minister Bandaranaike noted the immense progress which the Chinese people, under the inspiring leadership of Chairman Mao, had achieved since her last visit to China.


During the visit, Premier Chou En-lai and Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike had talks in a friendly, cordial and candid atmosphere on a wide range of subjects covering important international issues, the further development of relations and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the People's Republic of China and other questions of mutual interest. Both the Prime Ministers expressed deep satisfaction with the talks.


In the review of bilateral relations, the two Prime Ministers felt that they had every reason for satisfaction over the steady and progressive strengthening of the relations between the Republic of Sri Lanka and the People's Republic of China. It was noted that cooperation between the two Governments and peoples had expanded and advanced over a wide spectrum of areas, including political, economic, trade as well as in the fields of culture and sports.


The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka expressed her deep personal appreciation and that of her own Government for the assistance China had rendered Sri Lanka over the years, particularly after the forming of her Government in May 1970; she also expressed her deep appreciation of China's Eight Principles in providing aid to developing countries, including the principles of equality, friendship and mutual benefit.


In discussions on continuing economic cooperation between the two countries, Prime Minister Bandaranaike acquainted the Chinese Premier with the broad objectives and strategy of the Five Year Plan of her Government. She stressed the determination of the Government of the Republic of Sri Lanka to pursue the twin goals of economic independence and economic growth despite many obstacles and hardships. The Chinese Government expressed admiration for the active efforts made by the Government of Sri Lanka under the leadership of Prime Minister Bandaranaike in building the country. In order to support Sri Lanka in developing her national economy, the Chinese Government Decided to provide the Government of Sri Lanka with a long-term loan free of interest.


The Chinese Government expressed its sincere thanks to the Government of Sri Lanka for its support for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. Prime Minister Bandaranaike expressed, in particular, her gratification over the role the Republic of Sri Lanka was able to play in bringing about the historic vote in the United Nations General Assembly at the 26th Session.


The two leaders considered that the international situation is continuing to develop in a direction favourable to the people of the world. The countries of the Third World are playing an increasingly great role in international affairs. Prime Minister Bandaranaike stated that, as a non-aligned country, Sri Lanka had consistently stood for peaceful coexistence on the basis of the Five Principles between countries of different social systems and ideologies. The Chinese Government reaffirmed its firm support for the policy of independence, peace, neutrality and non-alignment pursued by the Government of Sri Lanka.


The two leaders reviewed the problem of the constantly widening gap between developed and developing countries and agreed that developing countries should strive unitedly to achieve an equitable international trading system. They particularly considered the difficulties of small developing countries and jointly took the view that a special responsibility exists on the part of developed states to ensure that the economic weakness of these countries is not exploited to encroach on their sovereignty and territorial integrity and to undermine their political independence. They also stressed the duty of developed states to support the economic independence of these countries.


Referring to Sri Lanka's proposal for declaring the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, Prime Minister Bandaranaike conveyed the thanks of her Government for the support of the People's Republic of China and, in particular, for the assistance provided in ensuring the successful adoption of the Declaration at the United Nations General Assembly in December 1971. The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka acquainted the Chinese Premier with the further steps and initiatives that have been taken by her Government pursuant to this Resolution with a view to its speedy implementation. She expressed the hope that all nations concerned would take necessary action as envisaged in the Resolution to bring about its early realization. The Chinese Government held that the proposal put forward by Sri Lanka reflects the urgent desire of Afro-Asian countries to safeguard national independence and state sovereignty and to oppose the aggression and expansion of the superpowers. The Chinese Government and people expressed their resolute support for this just proposition. The Chinese Government complimented the Government of Sri Lanka and Prime Minister Bandaranaike, in particular, for her personal initiative on behalf of this proposal and held that the Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1971 at the 26th Session, entitled "Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace", should be respected.


The two sides expressed their firm support to the Indochinese peoples in their just struggle for national liberation. They held that the Indochina question must be settled by the Indochinese peoples themselves in accordance with their own desires and free from foreign interference, and that all foreign armed forces should withdraw rapidly, completely and unconditionally from this region.


The two sides expressed their firm support to the Palestinian and other Arab peoples in their just struggle against Israeli aggression supported by imperialism.


The two sides expressed their concern over the present tension in the South Asian subcontinent and reiterated that the outstanding issues in the region should be settled through peaceful negotiations on the principled basis of complete equality, mutual respect for national independence and unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs and mutual benefit and accommodation, and without resorting to the use or threat of force.


In a review of the developments in southern Africa, the two Prime Ministers reiterated their strong condemnation of colonialism and racism. They expressed firm support to the peoples of Asia and Africa in their national independence movements and the struggle against imperialism, colonialism and foreign aggression.


The two sides reiterated that China and Sri Lanka would, together with all peace-loving countries, continue to struggle for the objective of complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons on a world-wide scale.


The two sides deemed with satisfaction that the state visit to China paid by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike of the Republic of Sri Lanka and the exchange of views between the leaders of the two countries had made an important contribution to the increase of the friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries and the promotion of the Afro-Asian peoples' cause of unity against imperialism.


Prime Minister of the Premier of the State Council of the


Republic of Sri Lanka People's Republic of China


July 5, 1972