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Sri Lankan president calls Aukus a ‘mistake’, rejects fears over China

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On sidelines of UN General Assembly, Sri Lankan president calls Aukus ‘a mistake’ and rejects fears over China

President Ranil Wickremesinghe also derided the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ as an artificial framework with an inconsistent definitionHe also countered recent claims by New Delhi that Beijing was sending ships to Sri Lanka to spy on IndiaBelt and Road InitiativeKhushboo Razdanin New YorkPublished: 10:40am, 19 Sep, 2023Why you can trust SCMP

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday declared the Aukus security pact between Australia, Britain and the US “a mistake” while rejecting any concerns over Beijing’s perceived influence on his debt-ridden island nation.“It is a military alliance moved against one country – China,” he said at an event hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

“I think it’s a strategic misstep. I think they made a mistake,” Wickremesinghe added, describing the alliance as unnecessary. “I don’t think it was needed.”

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Chinese research ship docks at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port amid heightened regional tensions

Chinese research ship docks at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port amid heightened regional tensions

Created in September 2021, Aukus is described by the governments of its member states as a security partnership involving information and technology sharing on nuclear-powered submarines, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities.

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