Sri Lanka Vows Closer Ties With China and India’s Left

Sri Lanka's President and National People's Power (NPP) party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake take part in a rally to mark International Labour Day in Colombo on May 1, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

Sri Lanka’s government pledged closer ties on Thursday with Communist parties in China and India, two regional powers competing for influence in the small but strategically important nation.

The leftist government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held its first May Day rally with special guests from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Communist parties in India.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Agence France-Presse

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
4
Thailand in Last-Minute U.S. Talks as 36% Tariff Looms
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans

You Might Like

Sri Lanka Relents to Indian Pressure and Requests China to Defer Military Ship’s Arrival

Sri Lanka said on Monday it had asked China to defer the planned visit of a Chinese ship to the island country after initially approving its arrival this week, yielding to diplomatic pressure ...

India’s Ties With China Strained Across Multiple Fronts

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar renewed his sharp criticism of China’s alleged incursions into Indian territory along their disputed border in the Himalayas known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and, again, claimed that ...

Chinese, Indian Military Forces Pull Back Troops From Disputed Border Area Ahead of Possible Xi-Modi Meeting

After months of steadily deteriorating ties between India and China, a partial pullback by military forces from both countries high in the Himalayas is a welcome bit of good news. The ...

Video of Indian Shepherds Confronted by Chinese Soldiers Along Disputed Border Sparks Outrage

A viral video of a tense encounter between Indian sheepherders and a group of Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers that took place on January 2 and surfaced Wednesday on social ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP