P. K. Balachandran
The joint communique issued at the end of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s State Visit to China, will be read carefully in both New Delhi and Washington.
The four-day State Visit of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to China from January 14 to 17 has resulted in a number of mutual commitments which could have significant geopolitical implications.
These commitments were stated clearly in the joint communique issued after talks between President Dissanayake on the one hand, and President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, on the other.
Independent Foreign Policy
The Chinese side reiterated that it would continue to firmly support Sri Lanka in “safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and respect and support Sri Lanka in independently choosing a development path suited to its national conditions.”
On its part, Sri Lanka reiterated its commitment to follow “an independent non-aligned foreign policy.”
This is an important commitment on Sri Lanka’s part in the context of China’s persistent complaint that Sri Lanka tends to bow to pressure from regional power India to do this or avoid that vis-à-vis China.
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