Amid reports of increasing military ties with China, Sri Lanka on Monday sought to allay India’s concerns, insisting it will do nothing to compromise the security of this country.
Sri Lanka Navy chief Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera, who is on a five-day visit here, maintained that there is no Chinese military presence in his country.
“We have very good co-operation with India. We will never compromise on national security of India. India’s security is our security,” he told reporters here.
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Asked about reports that its military ties with China are increasing, he denied it, saying “Their (Chinese) interest is very commercial.... .”
His comments came against the backdrop of reports in Sri Lanka media that Changzheng 2, a nuclear-powered submarine, had docked at the Colombo International Container Terminal Ltd in September.Two other Chinese naval vessels had docked in Colombo from September 7 to 13.
When his attention was drawn to Changzheng 2, the Lankan Navy Chief said, “It is (was) a conventional submarine and not a nuclear submarine.”
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He insisted that there is no Chinese military presence in his country.
Indian Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan stressed on the “very strong” ties with Sri Lanka and said bilateral naval cooperation goes beyond the normal training.