It has long been a tradition for Chinese foreign ministers to visit Sri Lanka and hold discussions with a newly elected president. One year after Maithripala Sirisena assumed office, the Chinese foreign minister visited Sri Lanka and held talks with President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Similarly, after Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed the presidency, the Chinese foreign minister visited Sri Lanka in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic and held discussions with both the President and the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during that visit.
However, after Ranil Wickremesinghe became president, the Chinese foreign minister did not make an official visit. This may have been because Ranil was serving as an interim president, having been elected through a parliamentary vote rather than a direct popular mandate.
China is believed to maintain closer ties with the JVP than with Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, or Ranil Wickremesinghe. Recently, the Chinese foreign minister visited Sri Lanka on a transit stop while returning to China after a visit to South Africa.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath was present to meet his Chinese counterpart. Although President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was reportedly expected to meet him at the airport but this did not materialise. During Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure, he met the French president at the airport during a transit visit. Likewise, Ranil also met the South African president at the Katunayake airport during a transit stop.
From a geopolitical perspective, the Chinese foreign minister is of greater importance to Sri Lanka than the French or South African presidents. President Anura Kumara’s absence in meeting him is therefore seen as tricky. However, it is arguably knottier that the Chinese foreign minister, in keeping with tradition, not visiting Colombo and did not meet President Anura Kumara.
A Foreign Ministry communiqué stated that Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath had requested Chinese assistance to rebuild areas devastated by the cyclone. However, the Chinese minister’s response was not clear. The Indian foreign minister, who visited Sri Lanka before the Chinese foreign minister, announced an aid package for cyclone-affected areas. Separately, when the Chinese ambassador met the foreign minister, he pledged USD 1 million in assistance. In addition, a representative of the Chinese Communist Party met President Anura Kumara and promised further aid.
With news of the Chinese foreign minister’s arrival, there were expectations that China might announce an enhancement of its aid package, but this did not materialise. It was reported during the visit of the Chinese Communist Party representative that a request was made to lift the ban imposed on Chinese research vessels. When the Chinese foreign minister met Minister Vijitha Herath, it is believed that this issue occupied a significant place on the agenda.
Overall, the Chinese foreign minister’s brief transit visit may be interpreted as an indication of anxious relations between the two countries.
