(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa are scheduled to visit China and India with the aim of further strengthening regional cooperation and enhancing relations with the two Asian powers.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is scheduled to visit China next month on an invitation extended by the Chinese government. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who visited Sri Lanka earlier this week formally invited President Rajapaksa to visit China.
During the visit to Beijing next month, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top government officials and business leaders. He also expects to hold discussions with the representatives of the technology, tourism, infrastructure and other sectors.
This is President’s first visit to China and the second official overseas visit after winning the presidential election on November 16 last year. Soon after assuming office, the President visited India in November on an invitation extended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is scheduled to leave for India on February 7 at the invitation of the Indian government.
During his visit, Prime Minister Rajapaksa is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top officials of the Indian government. He will also visit Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
This is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s first visit to India since becoming the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on November 18, and he is the third Sri Lankan government leader to visit India following the presidential election last year. Previously President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena visited India.
