Sri Lanka says ties with China misinterpreted

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday said that its relationship with China has been misinterpreted by some countries.

Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka's relationship with China is purely for economic and development purposes.

The defense secretary was addressing a defense seminar in Colombo where delegates from several countries including China are participating.

Rajapaksa said that some foreign delegates who visited Sri Lanka in the past had also raised concerns over China's ties with Sri Lanka.

Some countries feel China has strategic interests in Sri Lanka but Rajapaksa reiterated that even President Mahinda Rajapaksa had noted that Sri Lanka's ties with China is not a threat to any other country.

Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka is keen to maintain strong ties with countries in the region including Pakistan.