Beijing University confers Honorary Doctorate on Sri Lankan President

The Beijing Foreign Studies University in China conferred an Honorary Doctorate, on the visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today (11).

President Rajapaksa, who is on a 4 day official visit to China, declared open the new Sri Lanka Research Centre at the Foreign Studies University in Beijing this morning.



Addressing the occasion, the President said economic development in a country should be achieved in coordination with the culture, traditions and the future aspirations of the country's people and Sri Lanka could learn much from China's experience.

The Chancellor of the University Professor Chen Yulu conferring the degree on the President said that the steps being taken by the President would help not only to improve the educational ties between Sri Lanka and China but also to strengthen peace in the world.

The President presented a Buddha Statue to the Chancellor to mark the occasion and also planted a tree to represent the long standing friendship between the two countries. Chinese Professors, Students of Sinhala and the Sri Lankan delegation participated in the event.



President Rajapaksa presented a memento to the first student of Sinhala Language in China Zheng Yuzhong. He also presented Sinhala text books to Chinese students learning Sinhala.



External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Higher Education Minister, S.B. Dissanayake, parliamentarian, Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, External Affairs Ministry Secretary, Karunathilaka Amunugama, Sri Lankan Ambassador in China, Ranjith Uyangoda and the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mrs. Yang Xinping were present at the occasion.

(Photos by Sudath Silva)