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Sirisena meets Xi amid new look at ties

Sri Lanka’s new president Maithripala Sirisena has held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid efforts to recalibrate his predecessor’s strongly pro-China policies.
Mr. Sirisena met with Mr. Xi on Thursday in Beijing at the start of his first visit to the Asian giant since
taking office in January.
Mr. Xi told Mr. Sirisena that China considers Sri Lanka a strategic partner and wants to further boost relations.
The two sides were considered likely to discuss a $1.5 billion China-funded port city project in Colombo which Mr. Sirisena’s government suspended pending scrutiny of environment impacts and alleged corruption. Mr. Sirisena’s administration has also ordered reviews of all China-funded projects.
Mr. Sirisena wants to balance Sri Lanka’s China ties against those with India, which has become increasingly concerned about new Chinese economic and military inroads in the Indian Ocean.

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