Sri Lanka President Dissanayake picks India for first state visit: Signal for China?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, shakes hand with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka, left, after a joint press statement in New Delhi (AP)

India has rolled out the red carpet for Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is on a three-day visit to the country — his first since he assumed office in September 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded a warm welcome to the Sri Lankan President, saying that India is delighted that he chose New Delhi for his first state visit. "With today's Yatra, new speed and energy is being generated in our relations," PM Modi said during a joint briefing with Dissanayake.

The visit of the new Sri Lankan President, who takes over a fragile economy that is still recovering from Chinese influence, is high on both optics and substance.

Right off the bat, PM Modi made a slew of announcements and said that the two countries will soon finalise a defence cooperation agreement. PM Modi added that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development.

Dissanayake's decision to chose India for his first visit portends good news for New Delhi, which has been trying to counter the growing Chinese influence in its own backyard.

The docking of the Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship 'Yuan Wang' at Hambantota port in August 2022 had triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka.

Another Chinese warship docked at the Colombo port in August last year, renewing concerns about Beijing's activity in the region.

Sri Lanka is a strategic ally and one of the closest maritime neighbour of India in the Indian Ocean Region. It has always been the top priority in Prime Minister Modi's vision of 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

India has taken significant steps to expand its influence in the island nation in recent years, especially since the ouster of the Rajapaksas in 2022.

Sources told PTI that issues relating to maritime security cooperation are likely to figure during Disanayaka's visit to India.

India's outreach

Dissanayake's landslide victory in Sri Lanka marked a significant shift in the country's politics, especially after the island nation had been under the iron grip of the Rajapaksas for many years.

A Leftist leader, Dissanayake, and by extension his Marxist-Leninist party JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna), were seen as pro-China.

However, India's aggressive outreach to Sri Lanka, which includes assistance worth $4 billion during the economic crisis, puts New Delhi in a better position to tackle its ties with the new administration

After his victory in September, India was one of the first countries to congratulate Dissanayake.

An article in the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said earlier that Sri Lanka is likely to maintain a balance in ties between India and China due to the current economic and geopolitical scenario.

Dissanayake himself made this amply clear after winning when he said that his government was committed to whatever was in Sri Lanka’s best interest. He also said that he did not want to be "sandwitched" in the geopolitical russle between India and Sri Lanka.

Pragmatism is thus likely to take precedence over other implications.

ORF further said that many promises in Dissanayake’s manifesto, such as developing Sri Lanka into a maritime hub, a port and trading hub, and a regional logistics management hub, will rely on the island nation's connectivity with India.

His push to boost tourism and information technology in the country will also require help from India.

"It is this growing importance of connectivity and economic leverage that has prompted JVP to be sensitive to India’s concerns," ORF said.

Moreover, the report said that scrutiny of debt and a strategic push to foster new investment conditions may not sit well with China, which is largely held reponsible for Colombo's debt crisis.

Even earlier this, Dissanayake visited India on New Delhi's invitation. During an interivew he said that Sri Lanka depends heavily on India for medicines.

He even acknowledged that survival would not have been possible had India not provided food aid to Sri Lanka.

"Even though we may possess independent capabilities, strong international relations, particularly with India, are indispensable in navigating the current crisis," he said.