Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in an exclusive interview with WION's diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal in Perth, thanked India for the economic support to his country amid the economic crisis. Speaking to WION, he said that he is "thankful to India. Without that (India's help) we could not have survived and this is why we are also looking at closer relations between the two countries".
The president also shared that plans are underway for IIT Madras to establish a campus in Sri Lanka, "most probably in Kandy".
China has been trying to expand its influence in Sri Lanka, which is located on one of the world s busiest shipping routes in what India considers part of its strategic backyard. Beijing was once widely seen as having an upper hand with its free-flowing loans and infrastructure investments. But Sri Lanka s economic collapse in 2022 provided an opportunity for India as New Delhi stepped in with massive financial and material assistance.