President Rajapaksa visits China; Thailand PM visits Sri Lanka; Australian Naval Ship visits Port of Colombo
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    • According to reports, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, made a four-day state visit to China on May 27, 2013 on the invitation of President of China Xi Jinping. President Rajapaksa is among the first few foreign leaders to visit China since the new leadership assumed office in March this year. It would be worth noting that this is Rajapaksa’s seventh visit to China. The Sri Lankan delegation accompanying the President included Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Monitoring MP for the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin de Vaas Gunawardena, Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Douglas Devananda, Parliamentarians A.H.M. Azwer and Namal Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Chief-of-Staff Gamini Senerath. Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank), Li Ruogu, called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the China World Hotel on May 28, 2013. The two countries signed an agreement to establish two committees that would work towards a free trade agreement. 1 President Xi Jinping and President Mahinda Rajapaksa also witnessed the signing of the contract between China Great Wall Industry Corp and SupremeSAT Ltd, to provide the satellite in the near future. 2

    Reports noted that Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made a two days visit to Sri Lanka on may 31-June 1, 2013 to commemorate the 260th anniversary of Sri Lankan Buddhist monks obtaining higher ordination from Thailand . During her address in the Parliament, Ms. Shinawatra s the two aid that the countries should work together to strengthen Buddhism as a religion and as a way of life. During the visit, Ms. Shinawatra called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat and held bilateral talks. 3

    In other developments, reports noted that Australian Naval Ship ‘HMAS Toowoomba’ arrived at the Port of Colombo on May 31, 2013 on a goodwill visit. Ship’s Commanding Officer, Commander Brendon Zilko accompanied by Australian Defence Adviser to Sri Lanka, Colonel Michael Collie paid a courtesy call on Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe at the Western Naval Command Headquarters in Colombo. They held discussions and exchanged mementos as a gesture of goodwill. 4

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