Captioned 'China-Sri Lanka ties transcend partisan politics' an article on August 19, 2015, in China's official Global Times commented on  Mahinda Rajapaksa, former president and the UPFA's candidate for prime minister conceding defeat and argued that 'No matter which party takes power, it will maintain a good relationship with China'.  Stating that "since Rajapaksa announced his run, some Western and Indian media have deliberately portrayed him as "Beijing's preferred candidate" and highlighted that his defeat would be frustrating for Beijing", the article added that after Rajapaksa was unseated by Sirisena in January, "there was also speculation that the change of government would pose challenges to Sino-Sri Lankan ties and particularly for the Chinese investments in the country". Emphasising that "Chinese investment and other kinds of support have played a critical role in stabilizing the country and driving its economy forward", it said "the Sirisena government is recalibrating its foreign policy and seeking a balanced approach" in which "China cannot be avoided" and China-Sri Lanka relations will not turn back. It asserted that "China will also not depend on any single party to maintain the bilateral relationship". The Global Times article also said that while "In March, Sri Lanka suspended a $1.4 billion Chinese-invested port project for review along with other foreign cooperation projects", Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said in an interview with Reuters that Sri Lanka hopes to negotiate a "win-win" compromise that would allow the suspended Chinese projects to resume after months of delays".