The island-nation’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean has placed it at the centre of intensifying geopolitical competition and rivalry between China and India. Sri Lanka’s experience in balancing its own priorities and needs with the competing interests and concerns of India and China through the lens of project financing has largely…
A revised version presented on 1 October reflects the Western double standards and the continuous desire of the UNHRC to bend over backwards to please the West. The most shocking aspect is that the recommendations in the report were made without consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka often finds itself navigating a diplomatic tightrope. While it shares strong cultural, economic, and historical ties with India, it also engages with Pakistan through trade, defense training, and political goodwill. The India-Pakistan rivalry sometimes limits Sri Lanka’s foreign policy options and restricts deeper ties with one…
Most analysts believe that India changed Modi’s programme to appease the majority Buddhist community, which will be happy to see the Indian leader pay homage to Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura rather than visit the Tamil minority in Sampur in the east.
One of the concerns of India has been the expanding Chinese presence in Sri Lanka. The China-funded mega projects like Hambantota Port and Colombo Port City have caused some discord in the India-Sri Lanka relations. Growing Chinese presence in South Asian nations - Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka - has been a cause of major security…
Sri Lankan missions abroad have been instructed not to attend any official functions of Taiwanese missions that operate as cultural, economic or educational offices or meetings attended by the Dalai Lama. However, until last year, several leading Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka had participated in religious functions and conferences together with…
Since the Colombo Process Ministerial Consultation in Bali, 2005, member states have taken concrete steps to improve the management of labour migration. There has been significant progress in areas of revised policies and regulations. There is greater cooperation between Colombo Process countries and key destination countries. Several…
Observers speculate that a key focus of discussions in Beijing will be the purported ban on Chinese “research vessels” entering Sri Lankan ports that India wants. During his visit to New Delhi, President Dissanayake promised that not an inch of Sri Lankan territory would be given for any activity that could be considered inimical to India.
Things changed overnight and within hours after the presidential election results were announced, India’s High Commissioner in Colombo Santosh Jha turned up at the JVP office in capital Sri Jayawardenepura with a bouquet of red roses. Interestingly, Dissanayake in his brief conversation with the Indian envoy, recalled his visit to India…
The JVP policy towards India took a u-turn when its youthful cadres were highly appreciative of the Indian assistance given during the tsunami and later at the height of the economic crisis two years ago. India’s $4 billion aid tops the list of overseas assistance. India also rushed food, fuel and medicines that helped end the long queues for…
