COLOMBO — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sri Lanka in March, a government spokesman said, amid signs the island nation is shifting from its heavy pro-China policy. Spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said Thursday that the March 13-15 visit will be the first by an Indian head of state in 27 years. The new Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, returned from a visit to India this week, his first trip overseas, and highlighted the improving ties that had soured because of Sri Lanka's closeness to China under the previous administration. Sirisena won a surprise victory last month against former ally Mahinda Rajapaksa, who relied heavily on China for infrastructure projects and backing against human rights allegations at the United Nations. China's increasing influence in Sri Lanka had made India anxious because it considers the Indian Ocean region to be its strategic backyard. – AP
