China on Friday proposed trilateral cooperation involving India and Sri Lanka for regional stability as the new government in Colombo sought to re-balance its ties with China, preferring to follow a “non-aligned” policy, PTI reported.

“China is open-minded about trilateral cooperation between China, India (and) Sri Lanka,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said during a joint press conference with Sri Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera.

“I want to say both India and Sri Lanka are China’s cooperative partners in South Asia,” Wang added.

Samaraweera is the first Sri Lankan official to visit Beijing since President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s defeat in polls in January. China made significant investments in Sri Lanka during Rajapaksa’s tenure, raising concerns in certain quarters in India.

Samaraweera’s visit to China will be followed by new Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s in March.

The two ministers had a lengthy talk focused on the new political alignment in Sri Lanka following the fall of the Rajapaksa government. Samwarweera, however, did not comment on the trilateral proposal by China. Wang said China wants progress in relations between all three countries, including ties between New Delhi and Colombo.
(with inputs from PTI)