It is nothing new that Sri Lanka’s foreign policy direction is flawed and inconsistent, but it is rare for those in power to accept it. Recently, Dr. Harini Nireka Amarasuriya, the prime minister of Sri Lanka, unveiled, “We do not seem to have a coherent foreign policy; every minister comes in, and they tend to take unilateral decisions, and the government tends to take unilateral decisions—not based on any kind of coherent policy; that’s something we really need to change.”
Contrary to Harini’s claim, her government is also pursuing a path that previous successful governments have failed to comprehend. As Harini pointed out, if the NPP government had realised that the country lacked a coherent foreign policy, the NPP team should try to establish one, but the government’s stance towards supporting the “One China Policy” is a vivid example of how it is moving in the wrong direction.
“One China Policy” is not a new phrase in Sri Lanka, as it was the first South Asian country to recognise the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1950. Since then, all subsequent governments have diligently adhered to the policy. However, the language used in the recent joint statement of President Anurakumra and Chinese President X-Jinping demonstrated how the NPP government is moving with a blunder on geopolitical rivalry.
“Sri Lanka firmly supports all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification and opposes “Taiwan independence” in any form. Sri Lanka reiterated that it will never allow its territory to be used for any anti-China, separatist activities and will firmly support China on issues related to Xizang and Xinjiang”.
This is the first time a government of Sri Lanka has supported this kind of joint statement with China. Fundamentally, the “One China Policy” has so far only related to Taiwan, but the joint statement also contains Xizang and Xinjiang. Through this, China has thereby equated the Taiwan to Tibet (Xizang) issue and brought it under the ‘One China Principle.
Tibet has been a conflict point between India and China for decades. Complex territorial disputes in the regions of Xizang and Xinjiang have led to serious military confrontations between India and China. The most recent episodes of conflict were in Galwan Valley in Ladakh in 2020 and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh in 2022. Beijing claims the entire region as part of South Tibet. India claims and administers Arunachal Pradesh as a northeastern state, and it states it “has been and will always be” an integral part of India.
As for the Xinjiang region, China administers Aksai Chin while India considers it part of its UT of Ladakh. The region holds strategic significance due to its proximity to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its potential as a military route. Furthermore, the United States has accused the Xi Jinping-led China of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims and ethnic and religious minority groups who live in the Xinjiang region.
After his presidential victory, Anura Kumara Dissanayake remarked, “There are many power camps within a multipolar system – we won’t be a part of that geopolitical fight, nor will we be aligned with any party”, but his policy team’s approach shows a downhill contradiction.
On the surface, the “One China Policy” is an internal issue of China, but from a geopolitical perspective, it is related to a global power struggle. A small country like Sri Lanka does not need to intervene in such a matter.
Taiwan, determined to remain a democratic Country in East Asia that retained its ranking of first in Asia and 10th globally in the Democracy Index 2023 released by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, could become a geopolitical hotspot in the coming years, particularly under Trump’s second administration. According to the US Congress report, Taiwan has transformed itself from an authoritarian regime into a democracy that seeks a bigger role in the global community. In light of this background, sources, citing former CIA director William Burns, reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered his military commanders to prepare for war by 2027. The US Congress report has also noted that China’s military has set a deadline of 2027 to develop the capability to take Taiwan by force.
Against this backdrop, the NPP’s pro-China stance on the Taiwan issue is completely at odds with Colombo’s rhetoric of non-alignment, neutrality, and a balancing act in handling foreign relations. The joint statement explicitly supports Xi Jinping’s military stance against Taiwan, asserting that it opposes Taiwan independence “in any form.” This essentially underscores that the Anura Kumara-led NPP government appears to be willing to elude the Rule-Based International Order.