Chinese Premier Chou En-lai visited Ceylon on a four-day tour which marked his second visit to the country. The first visit had been at the invitation of Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1957 when the two countries established diplomatic relations and Premier Chou En-lai had been a Special Guest at the Independence Day ceremonies in that year. During this visit, at discussions with Mrs Bandaranaike, it was agreed that China would make an outright gift of an international conference hall, which would be named in honour of Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, in appreciation of the efforts of the late Prime Minister in establishing and promoting diplomatic relations and as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.