Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake chooses India for his first overseas trip – is China a factor?

The visit by President Aruna Kumara Dissanayake to New Delhi is seen as a move by Colombo to seek India’s support for debt-laden Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:00pm, 17 Dec 2024Updated: 5:03pm, 17 Dec 2024

The visit by Sri Lankan President Aruna Kumara Dissanayake to India on his first overseas trip is seen by analysts as his commitment to deepen New Delhi’s economic support for debt-stricken Colombo and allay any concerns over China’s influence in the South Asian island nation.

Dissanayake, who took office in September, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and both leaders agreed to increase economic cooperation. Among their proposed measures, India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates will build an energy pipeline between the two South Asian countries while India also plans to supply liquefied natural gas to Sri Lanka.

Following Sri Lanka’s economic collapse in 2022, India stepped in with billions of dollars in financial aid, including food, fuel and medicines.

During his meeting with Modi, Dissanayake thanked India for stabilising the country’s economy through financial support of US$4 billion and helping in restructuring the country’s debt.

“I think he [Dissanayake] would primarily be interested in ensuring that commercial support [from India] comes through because the country’s economy remains very fragile,” said Harsh Pant, an international relations professor at King’s College London.

While India’s aid to Sri Lanka would continue, Delhi might bring up concerns of private Indian investors about their projects in Sri Lanka coming under scrutiny by the local authorities, said Aditya Gowdara Shivamurthy, associate fellow, Neighbourhood Studies at Observer Research Foundation.