The third day’s itinerary of the Sri Lankan Army Chief’s tour in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) began Friday (8) morning with a visit to the PRC’s most prestigious National Defence University (NDU) where a large number of foreign graduates including those from Sri Lanka Army are reading for degrees.

The visiting Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army, himself a past NDU graduate at the entrance to the main campus was received warmly by its Commandant Lieutenant General Guo Junbo and a few representative members of the academic and administrative staff.

A senior NDU member afterwards presented a briefing on the roles and tasks of this top military education institution in China to the visiting Sri Lankan military delegation before an exchange of views took place with NDU authorities.

Later on, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army made a brief speech and recalled the bonds of military co-operation that have existed for many decades between China and Sri Lanka and his memorable days on the campus many years ago. He also requested the NDU authorities to consider possibilities of conducting joint courses or exchange programmes in co-operation with different academic institutions in Sri Lanka. The visiting Commander urged NDU authorities to explore possibilities of expanding the allocation quota for Sri Lankan military intakes since the Sri Lankan armed forces are now fully geared to receive more and more training opportunities in peacetime Sri Lanka.

Several Sri Lankan senior Army officers following Command and Staff course at NDU in the College of Defence Studies greeted their Commander during the interactive pause, organized by the NDU authorities.

Later on, the Commander’s visit to the NDU complex was made more memorable and dignified when Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya was invited to plant a tree sapling on the campus premises.

Soon after the luncheon hosted by top authorities of the College of Defence Studies, NDU, the Commander and his retinue were invited to visit the 3rd Division of Beijing Garrison Headquarters. On arrival there, he was warmly received by Senior Colonel Wu Ai Min, Commander, 3rd Division of Beijing Garrison Headquarters. Lieutenant General Jayasuriya received an update on the roles and tasks of his Division during a brief presentation and was shown around by senior military officers.

As the last leg of the day’s agenda, the Commander and his delegation had the chance of visiting the famous Poly Technologies, the company that manufactures military products and hardware. The Sri Lankan delegation received a comprehensive briefing on its products as well as the manufacturing process during their visit to the venue.

Poly Technologies has established business relations with hundreds of enterprises and governmental organizations of nearly 100 countries and regions and exports a large quantity of advanced equipment, merchandise for civilian use, defence equipment and logistics supplies.