New Sri Lankan govt to continue strengthening friendly relationsh with China

The new Sri Lankan government, under the leadership ofAnura Kumara Dissanayake, will continue strengthening its friendly relationship with China, a member of theNational People's Power (NPP) said on Sunday (Sep22) hours after the results of the presidential election were announced, the news agency Reuters reported.

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Dissanayake, candidate of the NPP, emerged as the winner in the presidential election held on Saturday, the Election Commission confirmed. He was sworn in as president on Monday.

'Worked very closely with China'

Speaking to reporters, NPP leaderHarini Amarasuriya said that the new government lookedforward to extending the friendly relationship with China.

"We've worked very closely with China in the past, and we will continue to do so. We look forward to having a good relationship with China, as we've had in the past," Amarasuriya said.

According to the Sri Lankan embassy in Beijing, "Sri Lanka and China are traditional friendly countries with relations dating back over many centuries."

"Relations were fostered by thriving trade exchanges along the Maritime Silk Route and far-reaching cooperation in culture and knowledge," the embassy said.

A look at the election results

Dissanayake polled 5.6 million, or 42.3 per centof the votes, a massive surge over the 3 per centhe managed in the last presidential election in 2019. Sajith Premadasa was second at 32.8%.

It was the first time in the Indian Ocean island's history that the presidential race was decided by a second tally of votes after the top two candidates failed to win the mandatory 50 per centof votes to be declared winner.

Given that no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the votes, the Election Commission counted the second and third preferences of the two leading candidates, for the first time in the history ofthe SriLankan presidential election.

Dissanayake obtained 5,634,915 votes in the first count and 105,264 preferential votes during the second count.

This was the country's first election since its economy buckled in 2022 under a severe foreign exchange shortage, leaving it incapable of paying for imports of essentials likefuel, medicine, and cooking gas. Protests forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and later resign.

Xi wants to deepen BRI cooperation with Sri Lanka

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday said he hoped to broaden cooperation with Sri Lanka under his Belt and Road Infrastructure Initiative (BRI) as he congratulated the island nation's new leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations and am willing to work with MrPresident to continue our traditional friendship (and) enhance mutual political trust,"Xisaid in a message to Dissanayaka, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Xisaid he hoped bilateral cooperation under his flagship BRI would "bear more fruit,"CCTV added.

(With inputs from agencies)