India needs to engage with the Tamil question and Chinese interests in Sri Lanka with an open mind | The Indian Express

India needs to engage with the Tamil question and Chinese interests in Sri Lanka with an open mind | The Indian Express

Written by C. Raja Mohan |Updated: November 19, 2019 9:52:19 am

C. Raja Mohan is Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, and contributing editor on foreign affairs for 'The Indian Express'.

India needs to engage with the Tamil question and Chinese interests in Sri Lanka with an open mind

With a strong government in Sri Lanka, it is time for Delhi to think boldly about its relationship with Colombo.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa after the results, in Colombo. (AP)

Even before the new president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was sworn in, the narrative about Colombo’s renewed “tilt” towards China and against India had taken root. The headline, however, misrepresents the complex power play involving Beijing, Delhi and Colombo.