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The Presidential Election of Sri Lanka and China-Sri Lanka Relations


Ma Zhongwu Sri Lanka was named “Simhalauipa” in ancient times and it was a south-Asian island with a recorded history of more than 2,000 years. On February 4, 1948, the country formally announced independence and adopted “Ceylon” as the state name. In August 1978, the country changed its name to “The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka” or “Sri Lanka” for short. Although being separated by vast oceans, China and Sri Lanka share a long history of friendly exchanges. Exchange in terms of Buddhism was the earliest form and has been the core of China-Sri Lanka exchanges in ancient times. Sri Lanka is a renowned Buddhism country and occupies an important position in the history of Buddhism development and spreading all over the world. In history, there have been many eminent Chinese monks who went through all kinds of hardships to Sri Lanka for studying and fetching Buddhist scriptures. Among them the most well-known figure was Fa Xian, a monk of the Jin Dynasty. The representative work of Fa Xian—Biography of Buddhism—has become an important historical document for the research of ancient culture and society of Sri Lanka and other south-Asian countries. At the same time, some accomplished Sri Lanka monks, such as Tumor and Amoghavajra, also promoted Buddhism in China. Commercial ties were also the important composing part of China-Sri Lanka ancient exchanges. Zheng He, the great navigator of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), visited Sri Lanka for many times and played an important role in promoting commercial and cultural exchange between the two countries. Today, in the National Museum of Sri Lanka, a monument recording the alms giving deeds of Zheng He in Chinese, Tamil and Farsi was displayed. The ancient Chinese chinaware and coins founded in the costal region of Sri Lanka also reflected the long history of business dealings between the two countries. The major items of trade between China and Sri Lanka in ancient times include jewels, pearls, ivories, herbal medicine and handicrafts from Sri Lanka and silk cloth, chinaware, musk, copper and iron utensils from China. The European colonists invaded Sri Lanka in the 16th century and ruled Sri Lanka for some 450 years, which blocked the friendly exchange between China and Sri Lanka. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the friendly exchanges between the two countries resumed and opened a new chapter. On January 7, 1950, Sri Lanka recognized the legal status of the People’s Republic of China and became one of the few countries that accepted the People’s Republic of China in the early days of her founding. In 1952, before the two countries formally established diplomatic relations, Sri Lanka, in defiance of the strong opposition from western countries led by the United States, signed with China the Five-Year Agreement on Rubber and Rice. The major content of the agreement was to exchange Chinese rice with Sri Lanka rubber. The signing of the agreement was of milestone significance in the history of Chinese diplomacy——it played a positive role in breaking the blockade of western capitalist countries and set a precedent of signing inter-governmental trade agreement with a country of different social system and has not yet established diplomatic relations with China. This agreement also opened up the history of trade cooperation between China and Sri Lanka and laid a solid foundation for the establishment of foreign relations between the two countries. On February 7, 1957, China and Sri Lanka formally established diplomatic relations. Thanks to the joint efforts of older generation leaders of both sides, bilateral relations witnessed rapid development since the two countries established diplomatic relations. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited Sri Lanka twice respectively in 1957 and 1964; and Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mrs. Bandaranaike also visited China for many times, such as the visit in 1961 and 1972. Frequent high-level visits contributed to the enhancing of mutual trust between the two leaderships and the deepening of traditional friendship between the two countries. At the same time, bilateral trade and exchange as well as cooperation between the two countries in terms of education, culture, religion and art also witnessed steady development. The Sri Lanka government has been adopting the traditional friendly policy toward China and regarding. China as a reliable and earnest friend of Sri Lanka. The two countries were of common grounds and broad consensus on many major international and regional issues and have been maintaining a good cooperative relationship. The Sri Lanka government actively advocated the restoration of China’s legal status in the United Nations, adhered to the “one-China” policy and has been always giving firm support to China on issues such as human rights, Taiwan and Tibet. The Chinese government has also given consistent support to Sri Lanka’s proposal and efforts of maintaining peace in the region of the Indian Ocean and policy of nonalignment as well as the efforts of resolving domestic ethnic conflicts with political means. After entering the 21st century, under the international trend of “peace and development”, China-Sri Lanka relations got onto the track of fast development. In 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Sri Lanka and during his visit, the two countries jointly announced to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership of sincere cooperation and lasting friendship. In November 2005, the then Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected President. President Rajapaksa attached great importance to the development of friendly relations with China during his tenure, regarding China as an important cooperative partner, and making great efforts to strengthen the friendly cooperation between China and Sri Lanka in various sectors. In 2013, during President Rajapaksa’s visit to China, relations between the two countries were promoted to strategic partnership of sincere cooperation and lasting friendship. In October 2013, during his visit to Sri Lanka, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the proposal of “constructing the 21st-century maritime silk road”. This proposal fits well with the national revitalization program of Sri Lanka——the Mahinda Vision——and even many of the contents were the common objective of both sides. Among countries located along the Maritime Silk Road, Sri Lanka was one of the fastest to express explicit support to China’s proposal of “constructing the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road”. Since China made the proposal, Sri Lanka government carried out active discussions with China in related fields, expressed explicit support to China’s efforts of strengthening economic integration and achieving regional development and prosperity via the construction of 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. President Rajapaksa has visited China for many times and the decade of his presidency. During this period, the traditional friendly relationship between China and Sri Lanka was improved comprehensively, and China became the largest capital contributor and most important development partner of Sri Lanka. According to the statistical report of Sri Lanka Central Bank, Chinese capital accounted for 40 percent of the foreign direct investment absorbed by Sri Lanka in the year 2013. In the first term of President Rajapaksa, with the support from China, Sri Lanka government called an end to the civil war which lasted for nearly 30 years. The elimination of civil war cleared the largest obstacle hindering the future development of Sri Lanka and laid a solid foundation for peaceful development. During the second term of President Rajapaksa, China offered strong support to Sri Lanka in terms of social and economic development. For instance, Chinese companies contracted the construction of a series of large infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, such as the Port of Hambantota, Matara International Airport, the Airport Expressway, the Southern Expressway and Rahm Putnam Coal-fired Power Plant. In September 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Sri Lanka. It was the first time for a Chinese President to visit Sri Lanka in the past 30 years. This historic visit by President Xi Jinping was of pivotal importance for promoting the in-depth development of the strategic partnership between China and Sri Lanka and was of great significance for the future development of bilateral relations and the stability of the Asia-Pacific region. President Xi Jinping’s visit also enhanced the progress of China-Sri Lanka free trade negotiation, the surge of bilateral and multilateral trade, the strengthening of trade and economic relations between the two countries, thus putting the development of bilateral relations onto a new and higher platform. On January 8, 2015, the leading candidate of opposition parties Sirisena defeated the ruling coalition candidate and the then President Rajapaksa by winning 51. 28% of the votes and was elected the new president. On January 9, 2015, Sirisena sweared in as the new president of Sri Lanka. And Ranil leader of the United National Party was sworn as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka on the same day. On January 9 and 11, 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang respectively sent congratulatory messages to President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Since President Sirisena took office, he made bold reforms in terms of social, economic and political system of Sri Lanka. President Sirisena promised to carry out the project of “100-day reform” proposed in his manifesto—major content of the project include constitutional and voting system reform, abolish the presidential form of government, relieve the excessive concentration of power, set up a multi-party coalition provisional government, implement parliamentary system and leader of the party which has a majority of seats should serve as the new prime minister. In the aspect of foreign policy, the new government pursues a balanced foreign policy, seeking a balance among countries, especially big powers, and striving to build an extensive friendly relationship with and carry out pragmatic cooperation with different countries in the international community. On June 26, 2015, President Sirisena dissolved the parliament and a new round of parliamentary election unfolded. With the government going into a period of transition, relations between major parties of the multi-party coalition provisional government became intricate and complex. Some countries, such as the United States and India, vied in strengthening their relations with the new government of Sri Lanka for their own interests. All these factors imposed considerable influences on both the domestic and foreign policy of the new government of Sri Lanka directly or indirectly, and raised new challenges and problems to China on how to response to the inference and influence of the United States and India, how to continue to develop the friendly relations between China and Sri Lanka and how to carry out China-Sri Lanka win-win cooperation in various fields. In the fields of politics and diplomacy, the maintaining of frequent communication and contact between high-level officials is beneficial for enhancing mutual understanding and strengthening political mutual trust. In early February, 2015, Liu Jianchao, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government and Assistant Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China visited Sri Lanka, conveyed the message of China on the importance of China-Sri Lanka relations and the willingness of being committed to China-Sri Lanka friendly cooperation. Liu Jianchao received warm response from the Sri Lanka side. In the end of February, 2015, the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka visited China—who became the first cabinet member in the new government to visit China—and was warmly received by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. On March 26, 2015, President Sirisena visited China for the first time and attended the annual meeting of Boao Forum for Asia. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang met and talked with President Sirisena respectively. Leaders of both countries think highly of bilateral relations and exchanged ideas on the future development of bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common interest. Taking the opportunity of President Sirisena’s visit, both sides agreed to carry out the results achieved when President Xi Jinping visited Sri Lanka in 2014, further strengthen the traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka, and deepen the pragmatic cooperation, thus achieving common development and prosperity. High-level visits are of great importance for both sides to make clear the right direction of bilateral relations development under new circumstances and further promote the healthy and steady development of China-Sri Lanka strategic partnership. In the field of economic cooperation, under the framework of the strategy of “constructing the 21st-century maritime silk road”, China strives to help Sri Lanka improve the potential of development. At present, although the policy of reassessment of foreign investment projects implemented by the new government of Sri Lanka imposed negative impact on the investment and construction projects contracted by Chinese companies, especially the suspension of project of Colombo Port City, the largest foreign investment project in the history of Sri Lanka, caused extensive attention from Sri Lanka society and the international community, we should focus more on the difference and complementary nature of the economy of both countries, the ever-growing economic and investment strength of China and the future demands of economic development from Sri Lanka. Therefore, we should take the opportunity of the construction of the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road and make the most of financing channels, such as the Silk Road Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to enable Sri Lanka to ride China’s coattails to prosperity and steadily push forward the construction of large projects. Free trade negotiation between China and Sri Lanka should also accelerate. The signing of free trade agreement could not only offer more opportunities for Sri Lanka to expand export to China and gradually reduce bilateral trade deficit, but also provide convenience for Chinese companies and commodities to enter the markets of Sri Lanka and South Asia. In addition, Chinese companies should be encouraged to invest in Sri Lanka and carry out China-Sri Lanka industrial cooperation, in an effort to achieve mutual benefit and common development. Pragmatic cooperation between China and Sri Lanka should be encouraged, especially the cooperation in fields of health, agriculture, science & technology, tourism, human resources training. In order to enhance people-to-people exchange and cooperation, we should establish a mechanism of China-Sri Lanka high level consultation on cultural exchange, thus laying a sound social foundation for the lasting and steady development of bilateral relations. In September 2014, during his visit to Sri Lanka, President Xi Jinping pointed out that China will stick to the road of peaceful development, adhere to the ideas of amicability, honesty, benefit and tolerance in periphery diplomacy, and persist in the principles of understanding, honesty, friendship and common development in the relations with neighboring countries. China-Sri Lanka relationship has withstood the test of time and the evolvement of international situation, and has become a model of friendly coexistence and win-win cooperation between large and small countries. We have ample reason to believe that the problems and difficulties met by China-Sri Lanka relations are provisional and will not influence the overall situation and future direction of China-Sri Lanka relations development. As long as the governments and people of both countries strive to carry out pragmatic cooperation in various fields based on the principle of mutual benefit, and join hands to promote the sincere, cooperative, lasting strategic partnership, China-Sri Lanka friendly relationship is bound to open a new and brilliant chapter. (Professor Ma Zhongwu, Assistant Dean of School of Asian and African Studies and Director of Center for Sri Lanka Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University)