(Lanka-e-News - 19.Oct.2025, 7.40 AM) In a week marked by delicate diplomatic balancing, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuri met with both Chinese and Indian leaders, underscoring Colombo’s intent to maintain strategic neutrality while deepening economic cooperation with its two most influential neighbours.
Dr. Amarasuri travelled to Beijing on 14 October at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women held at the Great Hall of the People. During her visit, she held wide-ranging discussions with President Xi, building upon the outcomes of President Anura Pramodhanayake’s state visit to China earlier this year.
Emphasising the “centuries-old friendship” between the two nations, Dr. Amarasuri praised President Xi’s vision of Chinese modernisation as “not merely for China’s progress, but for the advancement of all developing nations.” She added that the principle of building a shared future was “highly relevant to Sri Lanka’s development trajectory.”
China remains one of Sri Lanka’s most significant development partners, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, energy, and technology. Dr. Amarasuri also highlighted the ongoing cooperation with Sinopec, which is set to construct one of Southeast Asia’s largest oil refineries in Sri Lanka—a project expected to transform the island into a regional energy hub.
Just two days later, on 16 October, the Prime Minister flew to New Delhi, where she met Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discussions focused on bilateral development cooperation, regional connectivity, and fishermen’s welfare, a sensitive issue affecting both nations.
Diplomatic observers in Colombo note that Dr. Amarasuri’s back-to-back visits to Beijing and New Delhi within the span of a week reflect Sri Lanka’s carefully calibrated foreign policy—aimed at balancing relations with both Asian giants while safeguarding its sovereignty and economic interests.
Analysts say that maintaining this equilibrium will be vital for Sri Lanka as it navigates mounting regional competition and global economic pressures, particularly amid increasing interest from both China and India in the Indian Ocean region.
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by (2025-10-19 02:10:58)
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