There was some unrest about certain container transshipments before the removal of Bimal Ratnayake from the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation. Those container transshipments belonged to a Chinese company. The United States had warned the Sri Lankan government that Chinese container transshipments contained weapons being sent to Houthi rebels in Syria, which China totally denied.
However, the Port Authority disregarded that warning, allowing the transshipments to pass freely, as they were from China. The U.S. had requested that Sri Lanka destroy any weapons found in those consignments, but China strongly opposed that inspection.
Caught between the U.S. and China on this sensitive issue, the government became fearful. Bimal, too, was reluctant to anger China. The transshipments were allowed to go freely. A few days later, Bimal lost his position as Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation.
After being removed from his ministerial post, Bimal immediately travelled to China. He did so at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party. He stayed there for over a week and met with senior officials of the Communist Party.
Bimal is the head of the JVP’s international division. It is he who has maintained the JVP’s relations with China for some time. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Ports is an important ministry for China. Therefore, Bimal’s appointment as Minister of Ports could have been seen as a positive development for China. It is said that China may now be closely observing the reasons for Bimal’s removal from that post.
Although China has also built a close relationship with Tilvin Silva of the JVP, it is Bimal who has earned greater trust from the Chinese. It is not known whether China believes that after Anura, the successor would be Bimal, nor it is not clear whether the Chinese Communist Party is grooming Bimal for leadership. Otherwise, it would be unusual for Bimal to have travelled to China for several days while holding a ministerial post and serving as the leader of the house in the parliament.
The Chinese Embassy, compared to some other embassies, maintains a closer connection with the internal affairs of the JVP. Recently a, former JVP leader Wimal Weerawansa told the media that he was informed of his removal from the JVP through an official of the Chinese Embassy, via a reliable source.
Reasons for Bimal’s sudden visit to China are not known; it is clear that China maintains a significant understanding and interest in the internal decisions and operations of the JVP’s political wing.
