CHINA MIRROR WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE 15

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Association for Sri Lanka China Social and Cultural Co-operation SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: 

China-Africa friendship continues to flourish on vaccine, trade, renewable energy

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Beijing's subcenter aims high.

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The father, the daughter and their legacy with the CPC

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'King of Monkeys' makes furry friends in forest.

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China's first privately -owned high-speed railway begins trial operation.

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USA .So- called virtual summit on democracy is a ridiculous act…

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The “Belt and Road” initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping upholds openness and cooperation, …. 4

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How the BRI offers postpandemic investment op10 portunities 2

'King of Monkeys' makes furry friends in 10 forest. 8 4

23-29 Nov 2021

China-Africa friendship continues to flourish on vaccine, trade, renewable energy CTGN 29 Nov

China-Africa friendship is ex-

pected to continue to flourish as cooperation is further deepened in various areas after the ongoing 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Dakar, Senegal.

China will provide an additional one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, carry out 10 projects on poverty alleviation and agriculture, and conduct more programs with Africa in various areas, announced President Xi Jinping on Monday when addressing the opening ceremony of the meeting via video link.

Elaborating on the secret of ChinaAfrica friendship and looking to the future development of their relations, he highlighted unity against the pandemic, deepening practical cooperation, promoting green development, and safeguarding fairness and justice.

Cooperation against COVID-19 "To reach the target set by the African Union of vaccinating 60 percent of the African population against COVID-19 by 2022, China will provide another one billion doses of vaccines to Africa, of which 600 million doses will be provided free," Xi said.

During the toughest times in China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, African countries and

regional organizations such as the African Union (AU) provided strong support to China. After COVID-19 struck Africa, China supplied 50 African countries and the AU Commission with COVID19 vaccines.

"China will never forget African countries' profound friendship," Xi said, adding that China will also carry out 10 medical and health projects for African countries and send 1,500 medical team members and public health experts to Africa.

Earlier this week, the main building of the Chinese-funded headquarters for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was structurally completed.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.

Hailing the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, Xi said it reflects the two sides' experience of sharing weal and woe and serves as the source of strength for furthering ChinaAfrica ties.

Over the past 65 years, China and Africa have forged unbreakable fraternity in the struggle against imperialism and colonialism, and embarked on a distinct path of cooperation in the journey toward development and revitalization, he said.

Practical cooperation in various areas China will work with Africa to expand trade and investment, share experience in poverty alleviation, and strengthen cooperation on digital economy and renewable energy, Xi said.

Over the past 65 years, China and Africa have forged unbreakable fraternity in the struggle against imperialism and colonialism, and embarked on a distinct path of cooperation in the journey toward development and revitalization, he said.

China will send 500 agricultural experts to Africa, work closely with African countries to implement nine major projects on healthcare, poverty alleviation, trade, investment, digital innovation, green development, capacity building, cultural exchanges and security, he added.

"Together, we have written a splendid chapter of mutual assistance amidst complex changes, and set a shining example for building a new type of international relations," he said.

Since the founding of FOCAC, Chinese companies have utilized various funds to help African countries build and upgrade more than 10,000 km of railways, nearly 100,000 km of highways, nearly 1,000 bridges and 100 ports, and 66,000 km of power transmission and distribution network, according to a white paper titled "China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals" released on Friday.

Building China-Africa community with a shared future

Xi put forward the principles of China's Africa policy: sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests.

At the initiative of both China and African countries, FOCAC was inaugurated at its first Ministerial Conference in Beijing in October 2000, with the goals of responding to the challenges emerging from economic globalization and seeking common development.

FOCAC now has 55 members, comprising China, the 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, and the AU Commission.

23-29 Nov 2021

Chinese Premier urges Asia, Europe to uphold multilateralism, promote cooperation CGTN, 26 Nov

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on

Thursday called on Asian and European countries to uphold multilateralism, strengthen global health cooperation, and promote exchanges in education, culture and sports.

Speaking at the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit via video link, Premier Li called for joint efforts to open up new prospects for Asia-Europe cooperation.

ASEM, founded in 1996, is an informal platform for dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe.

ASEM partners have enhanced political mutual trust and deepened exchanges and cooperation during the past 25 years, Li said.

As the impact of the pandemic is still far-reaching and the world economy is recovering with twists and turns, the meeting is of great practical significance, he added.

Upholding multilateralism is the right choice to maintain world peace and stability and ASEM partners should uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and shoulder their international responsibilities, he said.

In promoting post-pandemic recovery, he emphasized green transformation and a low-carbon path while pursuing development.

China will continue to support the Asia-Europe Foundation and is ready to hold an Asia-Europe youth leaders' camp, he said.

Other delegates attending the summit agreed that ASEM partners should deepen the building of the Asia-Europe partnership, jointly respond to international and regional challenges, safeguard world peace and promote common development.

They also vowed to expand cooperation in innovation, digital economy and connectivity to promote world economic recovery.

The summit was chaired by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen with the participation of heads of state and government and high-level representatives of 51 ASEM countries from Asia and Europe as well as the president of the European Council, the president of the European Commission and the secretary-general of ASEAN. The theme of the summit is "Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth."

23-29 Nov 2021

100th anniversary of Communist Party of China

The “Belt and Road” initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping upholds openness and cooperation, and advocates the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind Lin Yi- Executive Vice President-CPAFFC

The third webinar to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Communist Party of China (CPC) held on 24th December 2021.

This was held as a prior activity of the 7th China-South Asia Friendship Organization Forum.

Topic of the webinar is Promoting har-

mony among civilizations through dialogue and exchange The webinar organized and hosted by Association for Sri Lanka-China Social & Cultural Cooperation (ASLCSCC) and co-hosted by Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and Organization for South Asian Regional Friendship &Cooperation with China (OSARFCC).

Chief Guest of the Webinar was Madam Lin Yi, Executive Vice President of

CPAFFC and the Guest of Honour was Mr. Saman Rathnayake, Commissioner General of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.

Madam Lin Yi said “Historical revelations taught us that the Chinese and South Asian civilizations have always appreciated each other because of differences, understood each other because of exchanges, and consolidated cultural confidence because of mutual learning, thus setting a good example of exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations.

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23-29 Nov 2021

The “Belt and Road” initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping…

The CPAFFC is ready to work with all of you to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, promote mutual understanding and connectivity among the peoples, and strengthen popular support for jointly building a community with a shared future for both Asia and humanity as a whole. In

this way, we will definitely elevate the friendship, nurtured by ancient civilizations, to new heights” at the

webinar.

Six scholars delivered the keynote speeches at the webinar.

Mr. Shi Xiaohu, Research Fellow, Executive Dean of the Institute of Political Party Politics and Party Diplomacy, Beijing International Studies University (BISU) - “Overseas Youth View on Chinese Culture in the New Era “.

Mr. Chengfeng Chen, Lecturer in Maritime Silk Road Institute of

Huaqiao University-” “How does culture trade promote civilization exchange?”

HE Mohomed Rasheed – Founder & President of China Maldivian Cultural Association. (CMCA)“Cultural Understanding for Peace, Solidarity and Harmony among Civilizations” Ms. Sun Xiuyuan- Researcher, Hainan Institute of Public DiplomacyHainan University- “Promoting the Buddhist exchanges between China and Sri Lanka”.

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23-29 Nov 2021

A bird's-eye view of the roof of Xiong'an Railway Station in Xiong'an New Area, Hebei province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Beijing's subcenter aims high.

State Council guideline puts focus on technology, innovation and finance

China's State Council issued a guideline on Friday supporting the highquality development of Beijing's subcity center.

"The guideline has given a clear path for the subcenter's future development, which will accelerate the process of Beijing relocating non-capital functions out of the downtown area," said Ye Yumin, head of the Department of Urban Planning and Management under Renmin University of China.

plan of the path, which will help Beijing solve its big city diseases and serve the central government better," Ye said.

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area. The country will encourage more financial institutions to set up offices there, especially international and private ones.

According to the guideline, all municipallevel Party and government institutions will move to the subcenter in Tongzhou district by 2025. By 2035, construction of a modern subcenter will be completed and it will form a high-quality development with the surrounding areas.

At present, national financial institutions and State-owned banks are mainly located in Beijing's Xicheng district in the core area of the capital. The private ones, as well as the international financial organizations, are mainly in the central business district in Chaoyang district.

The scientific and technological development has been raised to a higher level in the outline, said Zhao Jimin, associate researcher on urban development in the Beijing Academy of Social Science.

The subcenter will welcome private and international financial organizations, and international law firms to settle down.

"The outline has stressed the importance of technological innovation in the subcenter, saying that it will develop the digital economy and use technology to drive the growth of the intelligent manufacturing industry in nearby areas in Hebei province," he said.

The central government has cleared the functions of the Beijing subcenter and Xiong'an New Area, in which Beijing will serve as the country's political, cultural, international communication and scientific technology center.

The subcenter will make more efforts in the finance sector, which has given a clear path for regional development, Zhao added.

"The new outline has given the detailed

The outline said the subcenter will be built into a financial innovation center for the

"The clear outline will help the subcenter to introduce more enterprises in the sector, forming a cluster growth," Zhao said.

The nation will support qualified enterprises in the subcenter and surrounding areas in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, equity transfers, bond issuance and asset securitization. Existing assets should be revitalized by means of operation and construction of infrastructure projects, according to the outline.

In addition to the scientific technology and financial development, the outline has also included other sectors such as housing supplies, smart city construction, culture and sports development.

23-29 Nov 2021

The “Belt and Road” initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping...

Professor C. Mahesh EdirisingheProfessor in Department of Physics, University of Colombo “Do we achieve the perspectives of peace and harmony through Social media? With special reference to South Asian Countries” Professor. Jiang Jingkui, director of the Southeast Asian Research Institute at Peking University “Promoting harmony among civilizations through dialogue and exchanges”.

Ms.Wang Bo, Programe Officer - Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU) delivered a speech with remarks.

The three south Asian dignitaries also spoke at the webinar.

Mr.Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, President of OSARFCC & Nepal China Executive Council (NCEC), Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Altaf Hossain Choudhury, President- Bangladesh China Cultural, Economic and Mass Communication Centre (BCCEMCC), Dr. G.H FernandesPresident-India China Friendship Association (ICFA) Ms. Farwa Zafar, Secretary General of All Pakistan China Friendship Association (APCFA) sent a greeting message to the webinar.

Winding Up speech made by Mr.Nishantha Wickramasinghe , Assistant Secretary, ASLCSCC .The Webinar moderated by Mr.Indrananda Abeysekera, President, ASLCSCC. More than 100 participants including Friendship organizations, educational institutes, Government departments, social organizations, youth organizations and business

circles in China and South Asia were attended to the webinar.

23-29 Nov 2021

'King of Monkeys' makes furry friends in forest. .

This is how Nie calls for the macaques, his good friends.

Nie, 47, was born to a local monkey training family

"Yo ho... Hello...; the mountain is green..., and has been

and I can sit for a while...," This clear and

looking after the

loud song can be heard every morning

wild macaques for more than two dec-

"The macaques are lovely and cute.

from deep in the forest of Yaozi village in

ades.He gets up early and comes home late

They are not only good scenery, but

the Wulingyuan scenic spot in Zhangjiajie, for many years, patrolling the forests to Central China's Hunan province.

After a bit of singing, groups of wild macaques come bouncing from the rock walls and the jungle to surround the singer —

also friends of local residents and tour-

look for traces of macaques, observe their

ists," he said. "I will always look after

living habits and feed them regular-

them, and hope nobody will hurt them."

ly.Dubbed "King of Monkeys" by locals, he has established a deep kinship with the

The Wulingyuan scenic spot has be-

creatures.

come a paradise for wild macaques to

Nie Jingming.

China says U.S. 'democracy summit'

spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at Thursday's press briefing.

Zhao added that the U.S. obsession with imposing Western-style democratic models on other nations and its attempt to use so-called democracy as a tool to pursue its global strategy and geopolitics is in

should focus

itself the greatest destruction of demo-

on its own

well as unpopular.

problems

cratic values and is against the trend as "Democracy is not the patent of a certain country; it's the common value of all human beings. The form of democracy

CGTN 25 Nov

and the way to achieve it is not sole, and

The so-called democracy summit to be

no country is qualified to monopolize the

hosted by the U.S. next month should

right to define or judge democracy,"

focus on its own democratic problems and

Zhao told reporters.

come up with feasible rectification measures, China's Foreign Ministry

BEIJING, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) The Chinese capital of Beijing launched its first commercial trial of autonomous driving and rolled out relevant management policies earlier this week, according to the city's high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone office.

The cumulative mileage of autonomous driving tests has reached nearly 3 million km since April this year with the management policy innovation achieving good results, said Kong Lei, head of the office, adding that the conditions

23-29 Nov 2021

The father, the daughter and their legacy with the CPC BEIJING --

Qu Duyi had a remarkable career as a

journalist, covering momentous historical events.

In 1949, when Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), she was the one who broadcast it in Russian to the world.

She co-founded Xinhua News Agency's Moscow bureau and was among the first correspondents stationed abroad from the PRC. But, it was her father's exemplary work and the family's legacy with the Communist Party of China (CPC) through generations that brought her to the spotlight.

Her father, Qu Qiubai, was an early CPC leader and a revolutionary hero.

In 1920, he landed up in Moscow in search of ways to salvage China. There he researched and wrote about the changes after the October Revolution as a journalist, and listened to Vladimir Lenin's passionate speeches.

He joined the CPC in 1922 and became one of its early leaders. Qu Qiubai earned acclaim as a writer, editor and theorist among his comrades. He was also fluent in Russian.

In 1935, Qu Qiubai was captured by enemy forces and was later executed. He walked through the gates of death unfazed, humming "The Internationale," a song he had translated into Chinese.

"Communism is the greatest ideal of humankind," he said before the execution.

"Sooner or later, it will be realized, and the CPC will win the final victory."

Qu Duyi, then 14 years old, learned about her father's death from a newspaper in the Soviet Union. She had not seen her par-

File photo shows a family portrait of Qu Qiubai (R), a key leader of the Communist Party of China in its early days, his wife Yang Zhihua (L) and their daughter Qu Duyi. [Photo/Xinhua] ents for five years. They were called back at a time China was reeling under white terror and the Party's underground activities needed them most.

It was an abrupt departure and Qu's father sent her a postcard and flowers from Berlin on the way home.

"Was my father more of a scholarly gentleman or a revolutionary martyr? I was confused," she said in a 2016 interview.

Qu was born in 1921, the same year the CPC was founded. Revolutionary vibes permeated her life early on.

At the age of seven, she had already helped her mother provide cover for delegates to cross the border to the Soviet Union to attend the CPC's sixth National Congress. At a tender age, she understood that a communist is one who does good deeds for the people.

In the early 1940s, Qu and her mother were captured and imprisoned by enemy forces upon their return to China. During an interrogation when she was asked whether she would choose death or abandon the revolutionary, Qu said: "I always believe in communism and I won't think twice. The Party is fighting for the interests of the nation... People's liberation, rights, freedom and well-being are what I pursue. Death is glorious."

By the time Qu was rescued and she formally joined the Party in 1946, she had known what lifelong dedication to communism really meant.

At the Party's base in Yan'an, Qu and her

husband used to work for Xinhua News Agency, and on Oct 1, 1949, they truly saw the rise of "Xinhua" -- meaning New China -- with the founding of the PRC. A day Qu said she never forgot.

"The most exciting part was when Chairman Mao announced the founding of the central government of the PRC," she said in a memoir. Fourteen years after her father's martyrdom, the day turned a new page in history.

Qu was called to the state radio station where she broadcast Chairman Mao's speech to the world in Russian. It made her the first journalist to report the PRC's founding to a global audience.

In March 1950, Qu and her husband were among the first correspondents China sent abroad. They helped build Xinhua's Moscow bureau from scratch.

They dispatched many first-hand reports about the Soviet Union for the audience of the young people's republic.

At times, Qu would double as a translator for the Chinese embassy. She did interpretations for the then premier Zhou Enlai and the visiting Chinese delegations.

Qu started working with Xinhua's international news department in Beijing in 1978 and retired in 1982.

In 2021, prior to the Party's centenary, Qu was awarded the July 1st Medal, the highest honor of CPC, becoming the only journalist to receive the title.

"The CPC is 100 years old. So am I," she said in a June interview.

On Nov 26, Qu passed away in Beijing, marking an end to her extraordinary life.

But her remarkable works and the family's legacy shall live on.

23-29 Nov 2021

China's first privately-owned high -speed railway begins trial operation

It has become an ice breaking move in China's railway investment and financing reform. Costing around 44.9 billion yuan ($7.02 billion), the railway is 51-percent funded by private capitals which is led by Fosun Group.

mercial advertisements.

Founded in 1992, Fosun Group is the biggest comprehensive private enterprise in China, covering businesses in real estate, pharmaceuticals, retailing and investments.

China Railway Corporation and its subsidiaries will operate the railway and collect the ticket income, and then pays the investors the "line use fee," which is one of the main sources of income for railway investors in addition with other sources of incomes including com-

greatly ease the government's financial pressure and provide a sample for future reference.

In the project's contract signing ceremony in 2017, Xu Xing, deputy director of Zhejiang's Development and Reform Commission at the time, said that injecting private capital in highspeed railway construction would

CTGN 28 Nov

China's first privately-owned highspeed railway, the Hangzhou-Taizhou high-speed railway, began its trial operation on Friday, The construction was launched in December 2017 and the formal operation is expected to begin by this year.

With a 350-kilometers-per-hour designed maximum speed, the line has a total length about 266.9 kilometers, including 226.3 kilometers of newly constructed tracks.

Railway construction and operation in China was always managed by the state due to its vital role in economy and national development. The Hangzhou-Taizhou railway, all located in east China's Zhejiang Province, is one of the first batch of eight demonstration projects of private capital investment in China's high-speed railway.

The railway starts in Hangzhou East Station and ends in Taizhou Wenling Station. During construction, workers of the new line overcame numerous changes, as it is the first high-speed railway built over diatomite earth through the longest tunnel in east China.

23-29 Nov 2021

So- called virtual summit on democracy is a ridiculous act…

“The manner in which the US invited various countries to the summit is a disregard for democracy. It is ridiculous for a country that does not care about democracy to hold conferences on democracy.” says Indrananda Abeysekera, President of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social & Cultural Cooperation.

US President Joe Biden has invited 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy on December 9-10. The summit excluded many countries including China, Sri Lanka,

Bangladesh, Turkey, and Russia, according to a list posted on the State Department website.

“It is clear that under the name of democracy the US is trying to escalate world tension. And US is threatening to the world peace under the guise of democracy. It is an unpleasant act and a serious matter of global concern.” Abeysekera added.

Mr.Jaliya Senevirathne , Secretary of the Sri Lanka-China Wushu Friendship Association said that “Inviting Taiwan for so called Democracy summit to be held in the USA on December 2021 is a clear back stabbing on China . USA seems continues to play with fire in the region and poses grave threat to the world peace.”

USA may become known as the hell of the world.

The United States has overthrown and destroyed the democratic power of many countries in the world. The best example is Afghanistan.

America is a threat to world peace.

Editor in Chief

US President Biden has invited 110 countries to a virtual conference on democracy. But sev-

File photo shows a worker counts Chinese currency Renminbi (RMB) at a bank in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Si Wei)

China strengthens lending support for private enterprises

eral countries, including Asia, have not been invited.

This is a very bad precedent.

The United States' use of its power in anti-democratic activities has been widely criticized around the world. No ex American leaders has ever acted in such a lowly manner. The United States is threatening world peace under the guise of democracy.

As a result of these low-level anti-democratic actions,

BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has increased lending support for the private sector, with new loans to private enterprises reaching 5 trillion yuan (about 782 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months of 2021, according to China's top banking and insurance regulator.

The amount accounted for 53.5 percent of the total new corporate loans in the 10 months, 1.8 percentage points higher than the level at the beginning of this year, data from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) showed.

Outstanding loans to private enterprises by banking financial institutions stood at 53.1 trillion yuan as of September this year, 15 trillion yuan more than the level at the end of 2018.

In the same period, the number of private firms with outstanding loans increased from 25.84 million to 77.62 million.

Financing costs for private enterprises have been on the decline. In the first three quarters of this year, the annual interest rate for new loans to private firms was 5.3 percent, 1.6 percentage points lower than the 2018 level.

The CBIRC will further push for implementing measures boosting financial services for private enterprises and urge banking and insurance institutions to continue improving their service, said a spokesperson with the commission.

23-29 Nov 2021 meter bridge is scheduled to begin operations next October.

A pedestrian passes by an old alley on Nov 20 that was recently renovated with a trendy painting featuring Chinese culture in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Such paintings in the city's Xingqing district have drawn much attention from the public.

A student puts on a mask she made of Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Nov 22.

Students made drawings and handicrafts of the mascot and sent their best wishes to the Games.

The main tower of an expressway bridge has reached its designed height of 208 meters in Renhuai, Guizhou province, on Nov 21, as the construction of the JinshaRenhuai-Tongzi expressway took a major step forward. The bridge will span 965 meters across the Tongzi River.

A steel truss beam, lifted by two cranes, is installed onto slings of steel ropes over the Yangtze River in Chongqing on Nov 22, marking the start of the final phase of construction of the Guojiatuo Yangtze River Bridge. The 652-metric-ton steel truss beam is the largest and heaviest of its kind to be used on a bridge in the upper reaches of the Yangtze. The 1,403-

An ARJ21 commercial jet awaits repairs at a new aircraft maintenance base in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Nov 24. The base enables domestically built civil aircraft to have their highlevel maintenance procedures conducted in the province.

Shows the dishes at a culinary competition held in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. The competition was held by China Railway Construction Group Nanjing Branch.

NEWS CONTRIBUTION Embassy of China in Sri Lanka, CPAFFC, CAFIU, Chinese Media PUBLISHER

D30, Matha Road, Manning Town Colombo 8 Sri Lanka Executive Editor Indr ananda Abeyseker a

Phone: +94 112695772 +94 710885588

714925151

E-mail: chinamirrorsl@gmail.com chinamirrorsl@yahoo.com Editor in Chief Madushan Kular athne 29.11.2021