By Elishya Perera
COLOMBO (CWBN)_ U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives this month, as Washington seeks to balance China’s growing influence in the region.
Cabinet Spokesman and Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, stated that Pompeo will visit Colombo on 28th October and will travel to Maldives afterwards. According to Rambukwella, the visit will focus on the arrangement of a travel bubble between the two nations, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pompeo’s visit follows that of a high-powered Chinese delegation, led by Former Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, which arrived in Colombo earlier this month. During the visit, the two nations agreed to revive stalled negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), while China also announced that it would provide Sri Lanka with a USD 90 million grant.
In the recent years, Beijing has been one of the biggest investors in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, providing financing and construction.
Local news channels reported yesterday (Oct 20) that Hambanthota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) has partnered with the Colombo University China Language Center and the Hambanthota International Port Group (HIPG), to provide Chinese language lessons to residents of Hambanthota district.
According to the reports, the organisations believe that “locals learning Chinese would ensure ease of doing business, considering the number of China based projects in the district”.
However, China’s growing influence in the region has alarmed the traditional, regional power, India, as well as the US, and there has been growing concerns, locally and internationally, that China has lured Sri Lanka into a debt trap.
Earlier this month, in an interview with the Colombo-based Daily Mirror, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina B. Teplitz, noted that US believes partnerships between countries should be open, transparent, and mutually beneficial. Teplitz claimed that while the United States will not dictate the quality of Sri Lanka’s partnerships, however, Sri Lanka must not be vulnerable in its relationships. According to the Ambassador, the United States would encourage Sri Lanka’s relationship with China, if it is transparent and mutually beneficial.
Sri Lanka’s economy, mainly the tourism sector, has been hit hard since last year, initially by the Easter Sunday attacks and later by the pandemic.
Edited By Chathushka Perera
