General Liang Guanglie, State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of People’s Republic of China (PRC) arrived in Sri Lanka Wednesday (29) morning on a five-day official visit, together with a delegation of senior military officers.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetillake, Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral D.W.A.S. Dissanayake, Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal H.D Abeywickrama and Military Liaison Officer (MLO), Major General (retd) Palitha Fernando at Ministry of Defence extended a warm welcome to the visiting General Guanglie and his 23 member delegation at Katunayaka Bandaranaike International Airport on arrival aboard a Chinese aircraft.

General Guanglie during his stay in Sri Lanka is expected to call on HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of External Affairs, Secretary Defence and Urban Development and visit Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) at Sapugaskanda, Defence Services College, Panagoda Army Cantonment and a few other places.

The visit is in response to an invitation, extended by the Army in June this year on behalf of the Secretary Defence and Urban Development during a visit to China by Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya.

General Guanglie, who assumed the office of State Councillor and Minister of National Defence in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in March 2007, has served many distinguished appointments, such as Member of the Central Military Commission of PRC and Chief of General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army in November 2002, Commander of Nanjing Military Area Command (December 1999), Commander of Shenyang Military Area Command (November 1997), having served a number of other appointments earlier as Squad Leader, Platoon  Commander, Staff Officer at Regiment, Division and Operations, Deputy Chief of Operations, Department of Military Area Command Headquarters, Commander of Infantry Division, Commander of Group Army Corps, Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander of Beijing Military Area Command, etc. 

The visiting Chinese delegation is comprised of Lieutenant General Zhou Laiqiang, Deputy Commander, PLA Air Force, Lieutenant General Huang Hanbiao, Deputy Commander, Beijing Military Area Command, Lieutenant General Song Puxuan, Deputy Commander, Nanjing Military Area Command, Vadm Wang Dengping, Political Commissar, South East Fleet, PLA Navy, Lieutenant General Liu Yuejun, Chief of Staff, Lanzhou Military Area Command, Lieutenant General Yang Jinshan, Commander, Tibet Military Command, Major General Yue Shixin, political Commissar, Hong Kong Garrison, PLA, Major General Song Dan, Deputy Chief General Office, Central Military Commission (CMC), Major General Zhang Shuguo, Political Commissar, Army Corps, RadmKanLiqui, Deputy Chief, Operation Department of General Staff, Radm Guan Youfei, Deputy Chief, Foreign Affairs Office, Ministry of National Defence, Senior Colonel Gao Honglin, Deputy Director General, Research Bureau, General Office, CMC, Senior Colonel Chang Guibao, Deputy Director General, Security Bureau, General Office, CMC, Senior Colonel Wu Xiaoyi, Deputy Director General, Asian Affairs Bureau, FAO, MND, Colonel Wang Ping, Secretary to General Liang, Colonel GuoHongtao, Staff Officer, Asian Affairs Bureau, FAO, MND, Major Jiang Bin, Staff Officer, Asia Affairs Bureau, FAO, MND, Lieutenant Liu Da, Security Officer for General Liang, Lieutenant Zhang Heng, Staff Officer, Asian Affairs Bureau, FAO, MND, Ms. Zou Lihuna, Doctor, Colonel Huang Jiqian, Staff Officer, Information Office, MND, Major Kao Shengli, Staff Officer, Asian Affairs Bureau, FAO, MND and Major Huang Xianwen, PLA Journalist.