Sino-Sri Lanka ties are unshakeable: Xi Jinping, Sirisena

Sino-Sri Lanka ties are unshakeable: Xi Jinping, Sirisena
Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal-February 2015

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal Blog

According to available reports, in post Rajapaksha era the necessary democratic tendencies are taking initial shape in Sri Lanka with the newly elected president Sirisena standing committed to invigorate moralistic trends in the island country. On foreign front also, the new government seems to streamline policies to help promote healthy trends for the nation.

The political wind in Colombo is progressing with both China and Sri Lanka deciding to continue with their traditional mutual ties irrespective of regime change in the country.

Both Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and China’s President Xi Jinping have in a positive sense stressed the importance of Colombo-Beijing relations, confirming their ties have remained unshakeable. .
When Sirisena was sworn in as the new president on Jan. 9 after beating the former president in a presidential election, speculations were ripe over the emerging bilateral relations between China and Lanka. The unexpected ousting of Mahinda Rajapaksa – under whose decade-long tenure Sri Lanka significantly deepened economic and strategic ties with China – raised questions on the future of bilateral ties, with Sirisena and new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe urging before the election for more caution in opening up the country to foreign investments.

Xi Jinping said in his congratulatory message for Sri Lanka’s Independence Day that his country’s ties with Sri Lanka as “unshakeable”, indicating that Beijing did not expect the change in government in the country to have a significant impact on relations. In a congratulatory message to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence, President Xi said both countries were traditional friendly neighbors with relations having “remained unshakeable and become firmer as time goes by”. In his message, Xi said his government attached “great importance” to ties with Sri Lanka and was ready to promote “powerful development” of their strategic partnership.
In a message to mark the Chinese New Year, President Sirisena noted the importance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Sri Lanka last September and affirmed that ties between Sri Lanka and China will continue at a strong level during his tenure. Sirisena pledged to continue strong ties with China.

The Lankan president said in the statement that Sri Lanka and China share excellent relations which have stood the test of time. It is an all-weather friendship based on mutual respect. “Looking back at 2014, I am pleased that the historic state visit to Sri Lanka of Chinese President Xi Jinping in September last year has provided us with the opportunity to further elevate our robust relationship and deepen the strategic cooperative partnership in a manner beneficial to our two countries and peoples,” the Sri Lankan president said, adding that Sri Lanka, as a close friend of China, has always celebrated the efforts that China has spearheaded in bringing prosperity and well-being to its people.

In a separate message to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang described the two countries’ ties as “a paradigm for friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between neighbouring countries”.

Meanwhile, President Sirisena said in his address to the nation on Independence Day that he will follow a moderate and balanced foreign policy. However, it is not clear if by “moderate” he meant to cultivate relations with all important nations, USA, Russia, China and India without taking sides in the emerging new cold war situation. By implication, it is not very clear if Sirisena would continue with Rajapaksha policies abroad.

India expects the cancellation of big projects given to China by Rajapaksha and consider India for the said projects that would allow huge profits for Indian companies. But Sirisena seems to be in no mood to oblige New Delhi on the issue now.

Meanwhile, USA, harping on punitive measures against Colombo for war crimes during the Rajapaksha era, has hinted, as usual without clarity, that it would also cooperate with new government in Lanka.
World at large is looking for Sirisena’s action in the near future to vindicate the people’s decision for regime change in Colombo.