COLOMBO (News 1st); The newly appointed Defence Attaché of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Sri Lanka, Senior Colonel Fu Xiao, paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), at his office in Colombo yesterday (15 Jun).During the meeting, the Deputy Minister and the Chinese Defence Attaché engaged in cordial discussions on matters of bilateral defence cooperation and mutual interest.The Deputy Minister acknowledged China's longstanding defence cooperation, particularly in military training and the professional development of SL armed forces. He further outlined Sri Lanka's current strategic shift from a land based force posture to enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness, while reaffirming the country's commitment to a balanced, non-aligned foreign policy.Both parties identified key areas for future collaboration, including maritime security to combat drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human trafficking, as well as technology integration, training and simulation programmes, and disaster management.The Deputy Defence Attaché and the Naval Attaché of the Chinese Embassy were also present during the call on.
