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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (L) and the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan inaugurate the complex in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Dec. 15, 2018. A China aided office and auditorium complex was handed over to the Sri Lanka Military Academy on Saturday in Diyatalawa in the Uva Province of the island country. (Xinhua/Zhu Ruiqing)

COLOMBO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A China aided office and auditorium complex was handed over to the Sri Lanka Military Academy on Saturday in Diyatalawa in the Uva Province of the island country.

The hand-over ceremony was inaugurated by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan, in the presence of Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, Commander of Sri Lanka Army, a Chinese military delegation led by Major General Shen Jun, as well as other senior army officers from both Sri Lanka and China.

Addressing the gathering at the inauguration ceremony, Brigadier H.H.A.S.P.K Senaratne, Commandant of the Sri Lanka Military Academy, said the new building would strengthen the longstanding cordial relationship between the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Sri Lanka Army.

He further explained that this state-of-the-art building was constructed in the shape of a lotus, which is the national flower of Sri Lanka and it will serve as an office, teaching and assembly space for the staff and cadets of the Sri Lanka Military Academy.

"The auditorium had a seating capacity of 785 seats with sound and optoelectronic facilities, central air conditioning and intelligent power supply and distribution control system," the commandant added.

Cheng Xueyuan said that this comprehensive office and auditorium building, which was a gift from the Chinese government to the Sri Lanka Army, would become another symbol and witness of the friendship between the two armies and two countries.

Cheng added that history is the key witness, and reality is the best statement. China and Sri Lanka are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. Whatever changes may take place in the international situation, the two countries always stand with and support each other.

" The blooming lotus and the evergreen mountains witness the lasting brotherhood and friendship between China and Sri Lanka. Two countries will conform to the trend of world peace and development, under the guidance of the leadership of two countries, to enhance strategic mutual trust, deepen comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation in political, economic, military, cultural and other fields, and promote the continuous development of the relations between the two armies and two countries, and make greater contributions to the stability and prosperity of China and Sri Lanka," Cheng said.

The new office and auditorium complex in the Sri Lanka Military Academy covered a floor area of 7,200 square meters. The project started construction in October 2014, and it was designed, constructed and supervised by the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.