Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Anura Kumara Dissanayake shortly after he was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president on Monday, September 23.
Commonly known as AKD, Dissanayake is the ninth president of Sri Lanka. The 56-year-old leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) took his oath of office before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
Anura Dissanayake won the Sri Lanka Elections 2024, defeating his nearest rival, Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). According to official media from the island nation, Xi Jinping congratulated Dissanayake shortly after his swearing-in.
More About Anura Dissanayake
Dissanayake is the first leader from a Marxist party to hold the presidency in Sri Lanka. In 2023, he visited China, where he engaged with Chinese officials to discuss bilateral relations.
China, alongside India, is one of Sri Lanka’s largest lenders. As part of a debt swap, China acquired a 99-year lease on the Hambantota port.
‘Anti-India’ and ‘Pro-China’ Leanings
The new Sri Lankan President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is known for his pro-China stance. Some of his public statements and decisions have raised concerns regarding India’s interests.
Dissanayake has opposed the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, which grants powers to the country’s Tamil minority—a long-standing demand from India.
His party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), is also recognized for its anti-India and pro-China tendencies. The party’s founding leader, the late Rohana Wijeweera, criticized what he termed ‘Indian expansionism’ in the 1980s and even described India as an ‘enemy’ of Sri Lankan interests, according to media reports.
In his inaugural address to the nation on Monday, President Dissanayake emphasized that Sri Lanka cannot afford to remain isolated and must seek international cooperation. He stated, “I am not a magician,” expressing his commitment to sharing in the collective responsibility of addressing the economic crisis facing the country, as reported by PTI.
