bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Keegan Elmer

Sri Lanka heads to the presidential polls on Saturday in an election that could see the country steer a course closer to China again, observers said.
Under the administration of President Maithripala Sirisena – who is not running for re-election – Sri Lanka focused on relations with India and the West, putting ties with Beijing and Chinese-backed projects on hold.
It interrupted the trend under his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa, who held the post from 2005-2015.
But now Rajapaksa’s younger brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is a front runner among the more than 30 candidates in the race, and a win for him could herald a return to a stronger Chinese relationship.
Sri Lankan President Sirisena will not seek re-election
Zhang Jiadong, a South Asia expert at Fudan University, said the electoral outcome could affect relations with China but the key was to focus on the bigger picture.
“Whoever is elected, there may be short-term changes in the relationship,” Zhang said. “But Sri Lanka-China relations will surpass these things in the long term.”
After coming to power in 2015, Sirisena put many Chinese investment projects on hold, including plans for a massive “port city” in the capital of Colombo.
The administration suspended the project because of concerns about the awarding of a contract to a Chinese construction company but work has since resumed on it.
Critics accuse China of ensnaring Sri Lanka in “debt-trap diplomacy”, claiming that Beijing imposes heavy debt burdens on developing nations from South Asia to South America to try to increase their reliance on China, and expand Beijing’s global influence.
Terminator versus pad man: for Sri Lankan voters, a tough choice
Questions were raised over two major projects: Hambantota port and neighbouring Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.
Both projects were built with Chinese funding and both ran into big problems.
The airport was completed in 2013, but a lack of traffic meant it was closed to commercial international flights in 2015. Hambantota port was completed in 2010, but leased to China for 99 years in 2017 to ease the heavy debts owed to Beijing.
Nevertheless, China continues to sign infrastructure deals with Sri Lanka, including a nearly US$1 billion loan for a roadway project this year.
Madhav Nalapat, a professor of geopolitics at Manipal University, said the economic fate of these projects would largely depend on port traffic from neighbouring India.
Will a new Rajapaksa pivot Sri Lanka back from US to China?
“Until Indian entities begin to use these facilities in a big way, they will remain a huge drain on the economy,” Nalapat said.
“[But] the economic linkage between [China] and Sri Lanka has expanded so rapidly that all parties will continue this.”
Rajesh Basrur, a professor in South Asia studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Sri Lanka would continue to seek major investments from China whatever the outcome of the elections, but would also look for funding from Oman, India and Singapore.
“India is less concerned about Chinese investments per se than in whether these will translate into an enhanced strategic foothold for Beijing in Sri Lanka. Political leaders in Colombo, regardless of party affiliation, have no interest in antagonising India, so they are unlikely to risk this,” Basrur said.


Pakistan to play in T20 World Cup but will boycott India clash

The foreigners who fought for Russia, now stuck in POW limbo in Ukraine

Bangladesh’s cricket boycott exposes deepening cracks in South Asian diplomacy

Ex-Hong Kong youth cricketer completes run across Sri Lanka in world-beating 6½ days

Sri Lanka

The China question in Sri Lanka’s presidential election

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (right) and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing earlier this year. Photo: Kyodo

Sri Lanka presidential hopeful Gotabaya Rajapaksa would restore China ties, adviser says

Sri Lankan presidential nominee Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Photo: Reuters

A Sri Lankan man stands near billboards displaying President Maithripala Sirisena, right, and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, left, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on Nov. 16, the elections office said Wednesday, amid calls for a strong leader to boost national security as the country recovers from deadly Easter Sunday bomb attacks. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

‘All-weather’ friends: China, Sri Lanka agree to resume controversial Colombo Port City project

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe drinks as he addresses reporters in Colombo on April 10, 2016, shortly after returning from a three-day official visit to China. Photo: AFP

Let bygones be bygones, Colombo urges Beijing, as Chinese loans take their toll

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake will next month present one of Sri Lanka's most difficult budgets. Photo: AFP

The stalled Colombo Port City project has become a bone of contention between Beijing and Colombo. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Diplomacy


One of the front runners in Saturday’s poll could steer Colombo closer to Beijing but the focus should be on the longer term, observers say



One of the front runners in Saturday’s poll could steer Colombo closer to Beijing but the focus should be on the longer term, observers say.


The China question in Sri Lanka’s presidential election

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} One of the front runners in Saturday’s poll could steer Colombo closer to Beijing but the focus should be on the longer term, observers say

One of the front runners in Saturday’s poll could steer Colombo closer to Beijing but the focus should be on the longer term, observers say