September 25, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s newly elected President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, announced on Tuesday that the country does not intend to be caught between major powers, especially China and India. In a statement signaling a firm and independent foreign policy, Dissanayake emphasized his government’s desire to avoid entanglement in global rivalries.
In an interview with Monocle magazine, Dissanayake outlined the National People’s Power (NPP) government’s plan to maintain balanced relations with China and India, two of Sri Lanka’s key neighboring nations, without aligning with any specific power bloc.
He reiterated the need for Sri Lanka to remain neutral, noting, “We won’t be a competitor in that geopolitical fight, nor will we be aligned to any party. We don’t want to be sandwiched, especially between China and India.
Both countries are valued friends, and under an NPP government, we expect them to become close partners. We also want to maintain relations with the EU, the Middle East, and Africa.”
Dissanayake underscored that this neutral approach is critical for protecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty amid rising regional tensions. He affirmed that instead of engaging in power struggles between global superpowers, Sri Lanka will focus on building mutually beneficial diplomatic relationships.
in the past there were clearly defined lines dividing capitalist and socialist blocs. At that time, we adopted a non-aligned foreign policy.
But today there are many different blocs that have emerged. Under no circumstances will we get drawn into any geopolitical conflicts or become partners to any such conflicts. But our neighbour India is engaged in a geo-political race.
Hence when we formulated our foreign policy, we have taken into consideration the national security and concerns of India. Similarly, we also have to bear in mind the security concerns of others in the region.
Hence in our security policy, we have taken into consideration regional security as well. Our economic policy will give priority to projects that are favourable to our country and help us maintain foreign policy in which we build strong relations with all countries., he said.
It is not proper for a small country like Sri Lanka to have an isolationist foreign policy. Our foreign policy takes these issues into consideration.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a leftist leader, won the presidential election by defeating incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe, securing 42.31% of the vote.
He leads the National People’s Power coalition, a diverse alliance of civil society groups, professionals, Buddhist clergy, and students.
Dissanayake was sworn into office on Monday after his victory, which marked the first presidential election since mass protests ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 following Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
