Sri Lanka to seek ‘maximum support’ from China under new leader Dissanayake, analysts say

Beijing expects ‘new progress’ between the two countries as left-leaning president-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake takes the helm

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Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s election campaign promised tough anti-corruption measures and policies to help the poor. Photo: AP

Published: 10:00pm, 24 Sep 2024Updated: 2:35pm, 25 Sep 2024

Sri Lanka’s left-leaning president-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake has yet to declare a precise China policy, but was expected to seek “maximum support” from Beijing through foreign direct investment, technology and tourism, according to analysts.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Dissanayake on his election victory on Saturday, hailing bilateral ties as “a good example of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of different sizes” while committing to work with his new counterpart to boost relations.

China’s foreign ministry said it anticipated “new progress” in the strategic cooperative partnership between the countries, based on “sincere mutual assistance and everlasting friendship”.

Dissanayake emerged as the election winner after a second round count with 42.3 per cent of the vote, while his closest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, won 32.7 per cent.

His election campaign promised tough anti-corruption measures and policies to help the poor, as the debt-ridden island state continues to grapple with a massive economic crisis that has fuelled nationwide unrest.

Dissanayake, 55, leads a socialist electoral coalition – the National People’s Power (NPP) – as well as its main party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a left-wing political group founded six decades ago to spearhead a communist revolution in the postcolonial South Asian state.