Former Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa held a discussion with new Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan. 

The meeting took place at the Chinese embassy premises in Colombo. 

Following the meeting, Rajapaksa tweeted saying it was a 'productive' meeting on strengthening bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and China.

Rajapaksa, during his tenure as the Defence Secretary, maintained strong ties with the Chinese government.

It is widely believed that the former Defence Secretary, brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, will run for presidency in 2020.