china shrilanka relation

 china shrilanka relation

During the pandemic, China has provided substantial assistance to Sri Lanka by way of emergency loans, totalling over $1 billion, a currency swap for $1.5 billion, and vaccines with Sinopharm accounting for over 80% of the vaccines administered in Sri Lanka.

Beijing has maintained regular, high-level engagement with Colombo since the pandemic struck.

 In October 2020, a “high-powered” Chinese delegation” led by Politburo member and top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi was in Colombo, while China’s Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe visited Sri Lanka in April this year.

 Chinese energy project 

In February 2021, Sri Lanka cleared a Chinese energy project in three islands off Jaffna peninsula, not far from the Tamil Nadu coast, following an international bid. 

However, Colombo suspended it after India raised concern and offered an alternative grant for the same. Further, the Colombo-based Chinese Ambassador’s recent visit to Jaffna has drawn criticism from the Tamil leadership.

Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill 

In May, the passage of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, governing the China-backed Colombo Port City project worth $1.4 billion, triggered considerable resistance with government critics describing the project as a “Chinese enclave” within the island nation.

Sri Lanka rejecting a shipment of organic fertilizer imported from China 

The most recent controversy involved Sri Lanka rejecting a shipment of organic fertilizer imported from China due to reported “contamination”. 

The Chinese side responded by blacklisting Sri Lanka’s state-owned People’s Bank, while the Chinese company has sought $8 million in compensation and sued Sri Lanka in a Singapore court over the deal. 

Colombo has maintained this was a “commercial dispute” that didn’t impact diplomatic ties. It is, however, likely to figure on the agenda during the minister’s trip.


The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday Mr. Wang would on January 4 begin his five-nation trip in eastern Africa, visiting Eritrea and Kenya, before travelling to the island nation of Comoros, followed by Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  The Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand reflects India’s evolving trade diplomacy strategy India concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand   DATE OF STATRT  in December 2025, at a time marked by fractured supply chains and rising protectionist tendencies among nations. Guided by the vision of “Viksit Bharat”,  India has recalibrated its foreign trade policy, transitioning from a cautious, tariff-focused negotiator to a strategic, high-velocity partner.  Viksit Bharat (Developed India) 2047 is the Government of India's comprehensive vision to transform the nation into a fully developed, self-reliant, and prosperous country by its 100th anniversary of independence in 2047 . It focuses on economic growth, sustainable infrastructure, social inclusion, and good governance, with an aim to achieve a USD 30–40 trillion economy. There are six key wins for India   in this FTA, as it aligns with the Viksit Bharat blueprint for trade policy based on ...
Read more

Karnataka govt. unveils digital grievance portal for gig workers

Image
  In a first, Karnataka govt.  unveils digital grievance  portal for gig workers In this article -  Who are Gig workers  ? WHY IN NEWS -  Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System (IPGRS) portal Transparency -  WHAT THEY CAN DO ? gig workers can now officially Internal Dispute Resolution Committee (IDRC)  Challenges for Gig Workers How Is India Addressing the Challenges of the Gig Economy? Who are Gig workers  ?  Definition: The Code on Social Security, 2020,  defines a gig worker as a person who works outside a traditional employer-employee relationship.  Types : platform and non-platform-based workers. Platform workers  are those whose work is based on online apps or digital platforms. E.g., Ola, Uber, Zomato, Swiggy, Urban Company, etc. Non-platform gig workers  are generally casual wage workers and own account workers in the conventional sectors, working part-time or full time. Reasons for growth:  Demogra...
Read more
Image
  India’s first and deepest geothermal wells at Puga Valley in Ladakh Subject:  Policy and Science & Technology Why in the news? In a move towards the Clean India mission, the country’s  first and deepest two geothermal wells (1,000 m) at Puga Valley in Ladakh  were inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on 17th July.  Executed by the   Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Energy Centre, this marks a major milestone towards PM’s vision of  Carbon-Neutral Ladakh  and towards setting up India’s first geothermal power project. Key takeaways: 1. The two geothermal wells are   critical for the successful implementation of the 1 MW pilot geothermal power project at Puga, which will be India’s first demonstration-scale geothermal power project.  These two wells at 1000-meter-deep are commissioned at the height of over 14,000 feet.  Created using AI 2.  National Policy on Geothermal Energy 2025 To utilize the thermal energy...
Read more