Secretary to the Ministry of Defence & Urban Development, Gotabaya Rajapaksa paid a courtesy call on General Liang Guanglie, the Minister of Defence of China on 11 November 2012, in Beijing during his visit to China to attend the 9th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.
At the meeting, Secretary Rajapaksa conveyed greetings from President Mahinda Rajapaksa to President Hu Jintao and the Government of China. He congratulated China on the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which is currently being held in Beijing.
Recalling his recent visit to Sri Lanka in August this year, Minister Guanglie appreciated the rapid socio-economic development taking place in Sri Lanka under the wise leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Both Secretary Rajapaksa and Defence Minister Guanglie agreed to further consolidate bilateral cooperation between Sri Lanka and China in a number of areas including military cooperation. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to China, Ranjith Uyangoda and senior officials of the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka and China were present at the meeting.
Following the meeting, Defence Minister Guanglie hosted Secretary Rajapaksa, Mme. Rajapaksa and the delegation to a banquet at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing.
During the visit to China, Secretary Rajapaksa also visited the Astronaut Training Centre in Beijing.
12 November 2012
