Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Photo: Reuters
Sri Lanka’s tilt towards China expected to be ‘low key’ as new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa takes the reins
- Incoming leader says he will not allow the island nation to be pulled into a proxy contest among the world’s major powers
- But analysts foresee a cautious creep towards the pro-Beijing policies of predecessor and brother Mahinda
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Sri Lanka
Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Photo: Reuters
SLPP party presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (second from left) and his brother, former Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa (second from right) wave at supporters during a campaign rally in Homagama, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
‘Terminator’ Rajapaksa, brother of Sri Lanka’s China-friendly strongman, wins election
- Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, 70, whose brother Mahinda had close ties with Beijing during his 10-year rule, ran as the candidate for the Sri Lanka Podujana Party
- The Rajapaksas are adored by Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese majority, but detested and feared by many Tamils
Topic |
Sri Lanka
SLPP party presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (second from left) and his brother, former Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa (second from right) wave at supporters during a campaign rally in Homagama, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP