Managing Sri Lanka – China Economic Relations: BRI, Debt, and Diplomacy
As Sri Lanka, like many other developing countries, escalates its engagement with China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the question of debt entrapment requires a more rigorous review. Criticism of Chinese loan disbursements have focused not only on the volume of funds, but also on the terms. However, the author argues that, Chinese loans are not the primary cause of Sri Lanka’s debt imbroglio; but, they have contributed to, and possibly aggravated, the problem.
Sri Lanka’s New Regionalism: Looking beyond South Asia
Sri Lanka occupies a pivotal position as a strategic asset to both India and China, and despite its role as a pioneer of SAARC, the country is increasingly turning towards broader engagement with East Asia. This blog examines how Sri Lanka can delicately balance both Indian and Chinese interests to its advantage, to leverage the benefits of both regional superpowers.
Four Lessons from the Pakistan-China FTA for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China. In this article, Janaka Wijayasiri looks at Pakistan-China FTA, which has been in place since 2006 and draw important lessons for Sri Lanka.
The Red Dragon’s Leap: China’s 13th Five Year Plan and its Implications on Sri Lanka
China’s new Five year plan appears to indicate a shift in economic priorities. This article delves further into this development and assesses the impact of this re-positioning on the Sri Lankan economy.
Barriers Beyond Tariffs: Sri Lanka’s Exports to China
This article argues that the ability of Sri Lanka’s forthcoming FTA with China to capitalize on the FTA depends on the country’s capacity to simultaneously address both tariff and non-tariff measures in China.
Demystifying Hawala/Undiyal – The Not So Dismal Science:[…] believed that informal fund transfer operations in Sri Lanka have expanded considerably due to the wide gap between the…