Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake plans to visit China following his proposed official trip to India, Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayathissa said on Tuesday. Jayathissa said an official invitation has been handed to Dissanayake by the Chinese Ambassador in Colombo.
Dissanayake’s first overseas visit will take place in the third week of December to India, a Cabinet spokesman said, adding that no dates have been fixed. On November 18, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said that Dissanayake will visit India at the invitation of the Indian government in mid-December.
Jaishankar extended invitation
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who became the first foreign dignitary to call on Dissanayake when he was elected President in September had extended the invitation. Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka in October since the National People’s Power (NPP) government led by Dissanayake came to power on September 23. On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister Jaishankar had extended an invitation to President Dissanayake to undertake a visit to India at a mutually convenient date, according to a local media report.
On Monday, a top Chinese delegation led by Sun Haiyan, the Vice Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee, met Dissanayake in Colombo. The Chinese delegation reaffirmed China’s willingness to assist Sri Lanka and Dissanayake expressed his gratitude to China for steadfastly assisting Sri Lanka.
It is worth mentioning the relations between Sri Lanka and China soured for a brief period following allegations of debt trap. Beijing also turned down Colombo's demand for more time in order to repay the loan it had taken for the developmental projects.
This resulted in the worst nightmare for Colombo when the civilians stormed the Parliament and the President's official residence. However, earlier last year, Sri Lanka reached a deal with China, to restructure $4.2bn (£3.4bn) of debt, BBC reported. It has been trying to reach similar deals with a number of creditors to unlock the next tranche of a bailout.
(With inputs from agency)
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