An Analysis Of The Foreign Policy Of Sri Lanka's Modi Government Against Sri Lanka

In May 2014,Modi took office and actively adjusted the relationship between India and Sri Lanka.Before Prime Minister Modi took office,his former Prime Ministers Rao,Gujral,Vajpayee and Singh all realized the importance of improving relationship with Sri Lanka,but because of the restrictions of domestic interest groups and the need for elections,the improvement of the Sri Lankan policy has remained more verbal.In contrast,after Modi took office,the Indian People's Party Government has clearly proposed placing its neighboring countries in a diplomatic priority,and improve and strengthen the cooperative relationship with Sri Lanka in all aspects.Compared with the previous government,India's policy toward Sri Lanka during Modi's government was more pragmatic,and it put more into practical action rather than staying verbally.The core issue of this thesis is why the Modi government has paid more attention to Sri Lanka and the policy toward Sri Lanka has become more positive compared with previous governments?This article discusses the reasons for the improvement of Modi government's policy towards Sri Lanka from both domestic and international levels.At the domestic level,on the one hand,the ruling idea of the Indian People's Party is to realize regional economic integration and interconnection through the strategic concept of the subcontinent and to seek world leading status.On the other hand,Modi put forward“Neighbourhood First” policy when he took power,reshaping India's regional influence by improving relations with neighboring countries,so India's policy towards Sri Lanka must be placed under this policy.In addition,Modi has a solid ruling basis and can smoothly implement its neighboring foreign policy without the constraints of other political parties.At the international level,China is the main reason that influences India's policy adjustment toward Sri Lanka.With the advancement of the“Belt and Road” initiative,the Modi government has actively adjusted its policy toward Sri Lanka to balance China's rising influence in the subcontinent.In January2015,Sirisena was elected as the new president of Sri Lanka.He adjusted the previous policy of leaning to China during the Rajapaksa government and activelyreleased a friendly signal to India.At the same time,he actively participated in the construction of China's “Maritime Silk Road” in order to take a balancing strategy between China and India to maximize its own benefits.The apparent pro-Indian stance of the new Sri Lanka government and India's concern over the increasingly close cooperation between China and Sri Lanka have also contributed to the adjustment of India's policy towards Sri Lanka.Although both the Modi government of India and the Sirisena government of Sri Lanka have made efforts to improve their relationship,the Tamil Nadu factors,the transfer of power and the interests of Tamils,the fishery issues of the two countries,and the security issues of the Indian Ocean still limit the development of the two countries.