Chulanee AttanayakeandArchana Atmakuri

Opinion | Can Sri Lanka’s neutral foreign policy under Gotabaya Rajapaksa steer it clear of US-China tussles?

The island nation’s geographical position makes it an important strategic partner as major powers jostle for influence in the Indian Ocean region

While the prevailing narrative is that Beijing has Colombo in a debt trap, ties between the two are unlikely to change for the foreseeable future

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Sri Lanka’s new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Photo: Reuters

Chulanee AttanayakeandArchana Atmakuri

Published: 2:36pm, 31 Jan 2020Updated: 11:14pm, 31 Jan 2020

When Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made a statement about equidistant foreign policy and remaining neutral in any conflict between major powers, the world paid attention. Neutrality would be an ideal position for the island nation, especially given the geopolitical interest towards Sri Lanka. However, the viability of this stance has been questioned given that Beijing has enjoyed a special relationship with Colombo since the previous Rajapaksa government under his brother Mahinda from 2005 to 2010.

Rajapksa’s foreign policy vision is worth decoding given the global narrative that Sri Lanka is in a debt trap created by China. For starters, an equidistant foreign policy would mean it would work with all other countries, without hurting any. The idea, which was first articulated in his election manifesto, was later reiterated during his swearing-in ceremony and his visit to India last November.

Acknowledging New Delhi’s sensitivities to Colombo’s foreign policy decisions in his first international interview with Indian media, and making his first official visit to India – not to China – reiterated Rajapaksa’s commitment to this policy. He has also made clear his intention to maintain a distance from the struggle for influence between the United States and China that is brewing in Sri Lanka’s backyard – the Indian Ocean region. The question, however, is to what extent that is practical.

Sri Lanka’s strategic geographical position and the rising importance of the Indian Ocean in international geopolitics has made it an important country to major global powers. With the rising importance of the Indo-Pacific strategy, the Quad countries – India, the US, Australia and Japan – are seen as using different strategies to woo Sri Lanka and drag it towards their respective spheres of influence.

Hambantota Port was in 2017 leased to China for 99 years. Photo: Xinhua

Additionally, China, the European Union and Russia see Sri Lanka as an important strategic partner to realise their Indian Ocean interests. Following Rajapaksa’s remarks on foreign policy, envoys from Russia, China, the US each met the president on January 14, while he met a Japanese delegation one day previously.

In her meeting, US principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs Alice Wells reassured Rajapaksa of Washington’s “commitment and interest in furthering and deepening [its] partnership” with the island nation.

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