Sri Lanka's New Foreign Minister Says He Won't `Tilt' to China
- Sarath Amunugama took office this week in cabinet shake-up
- He praised Rajapaksa’s China-funded infrastructure projects
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Sri Lanka’s newly appointed foreign minister said he would not pursue closer ties with China at the expense of its neighbor India, following the appointment of a prime minister with a history of borrowing heavily from Beijing to fund infrastructure projects.
Sarath Amunugama took office this week shortly after the return to power of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Oct. 26. The surprise return of Rajapaksa, who took billions of dollars in Chinese loans to fund infrastructure projects, prompted concerns that Sri Lanka might again move closer to Beijing rather than maintain close ties with India and other democracies.