China grants Rs 2.6 billion for defence sector, police jeeps worth Rs 1.5 billion

The Chinese government has agreed to grant Rs 2.6 billion for Sri Lanka's defence sector while also donating 100 police jeeps worth Rs 1.5 billion, the President's Media Division said in a statement today (May 14).

President Maithripala Sirisena who is on an official visit to China had met with his Chinese counterpart and had requested a grant for the activities of the defence sector given the current situation of the country, the release noted.

Meanwhile, President Sirisena and Chinese President Xi Jinping had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to obtain the services of security personnel in both countries.

During the discussion, Mr. Sirisena had told President Jinping that Sri Lanka did not have the necessary facilities to curb the spread of false information through social media platforms in a bid to control terrorism in the country.

Accordingly, the Chinese President had said that he would deploy a team of Chinese experts to conduct an assessment in Sri Lanka following which the required equipment and knowledge would be shared by these officials.

Mr. Jinping had also said that he vehemently condemns the ruthless terrorist acts which had occured on April 21.

On the same lines, he had noted that China was willing to support Sri Lanka in every way possible to overcome the challenges of terrorism and restore the situation of the country back to normalcy.