Sri Lanka reiterates good ties with China, India

Sri Lanka said on Sunday that it has good ties with both China and India as both countries have played a key role in the economic development of the island nation.

"We have a foreign policy which is not based on exclusivity. We do not make choices between countries," Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris told The Sunday Leader newspaper. "Both countries have helped us. They have invested and participated in the development of infrastructure."

"We have excellent relations with both countries," he said.

Sri Lanka has seen a boost in its ties with China and India in recent years, particularly as some western countries, led by the United States, look to hold the government responsible for human rights abuses during the final stages of a 30-year civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels.

He blamed some western diplomats in Sri Lanka for "crossing the line," saying it was wrong for foreign missions to associate with elements involved in criminal activity against the interests of Sri Lanka.