The Secretary of Defence and Urban Development Ministry Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is visiting China to attend the 9th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in the southern city of Zhuhai, met with the Chinese Defense Minister General Liang Guanglie on Sunday.

During a meeting in Beijing, the two top officials have pledged to boost the relations between the two countries and their militaries, Xinhua news agency reported.

General Liang during his visit to Sri Lanka in late August signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Secretary Rajapaksa to grant about 1.56 billion rupees (Chinese Yuan 75 million) to construct a state-of-the-art auditorium complex at Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) in Diyatalawa.

China is providing US$ 100 million (Rs. 13.2 billion) for army welfare projects initiated by the Ministry of Defence to set up accommodation and infrastructure facilities in army camps in the north and east.

China has also announced a grant of US$ 1.5 million for modernization of the Defense Services College in Colombo for children of security forces personnel and the police.