India, Sri Lanka seek closer military ties to counter China

Sri Lanka and India vowed to strengthen military ties and widen maritime links with neighbouring countries after security talks, the president’s office said yesterday.

India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Saturday with recently elected Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and discussed setting up a maritime coordination centre, Rajapaksa’s office said in a statement.

It did not give details of the proposed centre, but said other nations in the region should be included as observers. It said the two countries also discussed closer military and coastguard cooperation.

The meeting followed Rajapaksa’s visit to New Delhi in late November for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who offered $450 million in aid to Sri Lanka after his landslide victory in the presidential election.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi also held talks with President Rajapaksa on Tuesday during a brief transit stop in Colombo. “As Sri Lanka’s strategic partner, China will continue to stand by Sri Lanka’s interests,” Rajapaksa’s office quoted Wang as saying.