Within two months of Maithripala Sirisena assuming the presidency, the Chinese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Sri Lanka as a special envoy and met with President Sirisena. Similarly, within two months of Gotabaya Rajapaksa becoming president, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Sri Lanka and met both President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Following this pattern, two months after Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed the presidency, Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited Sri Lanka. She is a powerful envoy with close ties to the Chinese President. Notably, her visit also occurred two months after Anura Kumara assumed office.
This is the third instance of Sun Haiyan meeting Anura Kumara. In January 2024, before he visited India, Anura reportedly travelled to China discreetly and met with her. Closer to the Sri Lankan presidential election, she visited Sri Lanka again, meeting Anura, other JVP leaders, then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and leaders of other political parties. Her purpose was to analyze the potential election outcomes. Uncertain about the winner, she instructed the Chinese Embassy to conduct a survey. During their meetings, Anura consistently requested increased Chinese tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka.
Before becoming president, on election platforms and after the throne’s speech, Anura emphasized tourism, citing record arrivals that potentially referred to Sun Haiyan’s promises. Her current visit may result in further commitments regarding Chinese tourists, though the specifics remain unclear.
A significant decision awaiting Anura’s government is whether to extend the ban on Chinese research ships imposed by Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration in December 2023. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath recently announced that Anura plans to visit India in December, but it remains uncertain if the ban will be lifted before this trip. The Chinese envoy’s message might urge Sri Lanka to maintain a balanced approach to regional geopolitics as a prerequisite for Chinese support.
