Former Sri Lankan Army Commander Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday hailed the relationship China has with Sri Lanka.

Speaking to Xinhua after a media briefing here, Fonseka recalled that China has been a long standing friend of Sri Lanka and that friendship must continue.

However he said the Sri Lankan government cannot lean on countries like China and sideline other countries in the process.

"I don't think even the Chinese government will like that," he said.

China has backed Sri Lanka on the international front especially when western nations push for an international human rights investigation in Sri Lanka.

Fonseka said the accountability issue had damaged the image of Sri Lanka and if his political party comes to power he is ready to discuss the issue with other countries and resolve the differences.

Fonseka said that the main reason the government was facing so much criticism from the West is because it had failed to live up to the very promises it made to the world.

Speaking to the media earlier regarding his party policies, Fonseka said that the Democratic Party will look at introducing a new political culture in Sri Lanka in order to address most of the issues faced by the general public.

The Democratic Party was registered on Monday as a recognized political party by the Department of Elections.

Fonseka, who led the army during the final stages of the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels, said that recruitment for new members to the party will now begin and that the Democratic Party will be ready to contest the next election.

After the war ended with the defeat of the rebels in May 2009 Fonseka fell out with the government and entered politics.

He lost the presidential elections in 2010 and was later arrested over illegal military deals. He was freed last May.