Chinese President Xi Jinping held a welcome ceremony for visiting Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing today (Jan. 15).
At the welcome ceremony, the military band played the national anthems of Sri Lanka and China, and a 21-gun salute was fired.
Dissanayake, accompanied by Xi, reviewed the Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and watched a march-past of the Guard of Honor.
Also attending the welcome ceremony were Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and other senior Chinese officials.
Following the initial cordial discussions between the two leaders, bilateral talks commenced.
SL, committed to jointly building the Belt and Road – AKD
Noting that China has always been a reliable friend and partner to Sri Lanka, Dissanayake said that Sri Lanka attaches great importance to its relationship with China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.
He expressed gratitude for China’s valuable support in safeguarding Sri Lanka’s independence, sovereignty, and legitimate rights.
Sri Lanka is committed to jointly building the Belt and Road and enhancing regional connectivity, said the Sri Lankan president. He said Sri Lanka welcomes more Chinese companies to invest in the country, and expressed the willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as infrastructure, energy, agriculture, finance, poverty reduction, digital transformation, tourism, marine affairs, and personnel training.
China is an important leader among Global South countries and plays a constructive role in international affairs. Sri Lanka is willing to continue strengthening coordination and mutual support with China in multilateral forums to safeguard their common interests, said Dissanayake.
New opportunities for Sri Lanka’s development – Xi
Meanwhile, the Chinese president said that China-Sri Lanka relations now face a historic opportunity to carry forward the past and open up new prospects. Both sides should strategically grasp and advance their relationship, jointly building a China-Sri Lanka community of a shared future, he said.
Xi emphasized that China has always regarded Sri Lanka as an important partner in its neighborhood diplomacy and will continue to support Sri Lanka in maintaining its national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. China also supports Sri Lanka in independently exploring a development path that suits its own national conditions.
China is willing to deepen political mutual trust with Sri Lanka, exchange governance and statecraft experiences, and enhance dialogue and communication between the two countries’ respective departments, Xi said.
As China further deepens reform and advances Chinese modernization, new opportunities for Sri Lanka’s development will emerge. China will actively support Sri Lanka in focusing on economic construction and advancing high-quality cooperation in the building of the Belt and Road, as well as high-quality cooperation in areas such as modern agriculture, the digital economy, and the marine economy, creating new prospects of cooperation, according to Xi.
Both sides should strengthen cultural exchanges between their peoples, Xi said. China is willing to work with Sri Lanka to enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral institutions like the United Nations, jointly addressing major issues affecting human development, such as climate change. China is committed to fostering unity and self-strengthening among Global South countries and contributing to regional peace, stability and prosperity, he added.
After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of several bilateral cooperation documents, including the plan for cooperation in joint construction of the Belt and Road, as well as agreements on Sri Lanka’s export of agricultural products to China, social welfare, and media and broadcasting.
The investigations into the ragging incident at the Sabaragamuwa University have been handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Some students of the Faculty of Technology at the University of Sabaragamuwa had lodged a complaint with the Samanalawewa police station on April 29, 2025 over a ragging incident.
Accordingly, the police recorded statements from 20 students who were subjected to ragging yesterday.
Further investigations into the complaint were handed over to the CID today following the instructions of the Acting IGP, Police said.
There is a weakness in the initial agreement we made with Starlink, as it does not grant us access to its data systems in the event of a national security issue, unlike the arrangements we have with existing telecom providers in Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.
He made these remarks while participating in a television programme last night.
He explained that the government was able to uncover several security threats—such as the Arugam Bay incident and the recent court shooting—because it has access to local telecommunications systems, under legal permissions granted to existing providers.
However, he pointed out that the government does not have access to Starlink’s data systems, as such provisions were not included in the initial agreement.
“This poses a direct threat to national security. There isn’t even a designated person to take responsibility, and we have no legal grounds to access the system,” he said.
He added that the government had raised this concern with Starlink, and in response, the company has agreed to provide a dashboard to access certain data.
“But we still don’t clearly understand the extent of access this dashboard will provide,” he said.
As a precaution, the government has allowed the release of equipment necessary to build the dashboard.
“Once it is operational, we will be able to assess how much access to data we actually have,” he concluded.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake departed for Vietnam a short while ago, commencing his official state visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).
At the invitation of the President of Vietnam, Luong Cuong, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is undertaking a state visit to Vietnam from May 4 to 6.
This visit marks the celebration of 55 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam and is expected to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral ties between the two nations.
During the visit, President Dissanayake will hold official discussions with the President and Prime Minister of Vietnam. He is also scheduled to meet with senior dignitaries, including the General Secretary of the Communist Party.
President Dissanayake will also participate as the chief guest at the United Nations Day of Vesak celebrations, scheduled to commence on May 6 in Ho Chi Minh City, where he will deliver the keynote address.
Several Memoranda of Understanding and Agreements are expected to be signed during the visit and discussions will be held with the Vietnamese business community to explore avenues for enhanced cooperation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, along with a delegation of senior government officials, are accompanying President Dissanayake on this official visit.
