The world is vastly different than it was even 10 years ago, leave alone the days of the Cold War between the USSR (Soviet Union) and the Western bloc led by the USA. Traditional power blocs and alliances have fractured, new political entities have captured power in many countries and there are entirely new challenges such as modern day slavery and human trafficking.
There is one defining factor that can no longer be ignored or denied: The East is rising. Asia is fast becoming the new centre of political and economic power due to the rise of China, India and Japan. No country can ignore this development and Sri Lanka is no exception. Sri Lanka has always maintained friendly relations with Western and Eastern countries, except for the last few years of the former regime when the country was more or less internationally isolated over human rights issues.
A sound foreign policy should be a cornerstone of Government policy. It is in this context that Sri Lanka played a key role in the evolution of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the 1960s. While many say that the NAM per se has lost its relevance in the modern world, those concepts are still cherished by many developing nations including Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, delivering what can be described as a masterclass in international relations at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) on Thursday, alluded to this global shift of power to Asia, saying Sri Lanka has to recalibrate its foreign policies to become a meaningful player in the Asian region. This is indeed a very pertinent observation in the context of modern foreign policy challenges. Sri Lanka has already repaired its damaged relationship with the West, regained trade concessions such as GSP Plus and strived to address the Human Rights concerns of the International Community. But there is a lot more to be done in terms of recognizing the shift of power to Asia.
The Prime Minister noted that it was vital to have good relations with China, Japan and India individually, but it would be disastrous if someone tried to play one of them against another. After all, these three countries talk to each other often and know what is happening. As the Premier explained, Sri Lanka has very good relations with the trio and indeed, there is hardly any other country in the region that has the same level of relations with India, China and Japan as Sri Lanka does.
Of course, it does not take a degree in international relations to realise that there is a healthy rivalry among these three countries in terms of economic and political clout. Countries such as Sri Lanka should not get caught up in this rivalry, the Prime Minister rightly cautioned. There is increased focus on China mainly due to two reasons: Recent political changes saw the strengthening of Presidential power and China has boosted investment in the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. The Prime Minister recalled that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed to join the OBOR in 2013, which was subsequently reaffirmed by President Maithripala Sirisena.
Referring to the controversy over Hambantota Port, the Prime Minister stressed that the security of both the Mattala Airport and the Hambantota Port lies with Sri Lankan Security Forces. There is no foundation to reports that Hambantota could become a Chinese naval base.
Apart from these three countries, the Prime Minister pointed out that countries such as South Korea and Vietnam were becoming key Asian players. South Korea is in the spotlight due to the ongoing efforts to set up a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. Sri Lanka has developed good relations with these countries as well, he said.
Both President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe visit key world capitals from to time on official visits to further reinforce our relations with friendly countries. Right now, President Maithripala Sirisena is in Pakistan on an official visit, following his visit to Japan earlier. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe visited Singapore and a few countries recently where the leaders assured their fullest cooperation with Sri Lanka. Many top world leaders have visited Sri Lanka after this Government came to power. Several countries such as New Zealand which did not have embassy or high commission level representation here are now in the process of opening embassies.
While political links and diplomacy are very important, one should also look at developing trade and tourism ties with key countries. “Trade not aid” being the new mantra, Sri Lanka is signing free trade agreements with several regional countries. It is also vital to attract foreign investors to Sri Lanka. Air links must be established with more countries.
Today, the world has more or less become a village thanks to easier travel and instant communications. Therefore, an island mentality will not get us anywhere. No country can exist in isolation. It is time to look beyond our shores and further consolidate our gains on the foreign policy front.
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