Following the visit of China’s ambassador to the Tamil homeland, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has left today for a two-day visit to India.
The visit follows a public spat with Beijing over Sri Lanka’s ban on imported fertilisers. Responding to this ban China has blacklisted Sri Lanka’s second-largest state-owned bank and Sri Lanka has agreed to pay USD $6.7 million in damages to a Chinese fertiliser company.
In Sri Lanka’s last high-profile visit with India, Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister sought economic aid from their neighbour whilst India stressed their interest in expanding on several key projects across the Tamil homeland.
Read more here: India cracks the whip in Sri Lanka?
The visit comes as Sri Lanka’s economy continues to crater and citizens are forced to ration food as prices continue to spiral. Nutritional experts are warning that the continued price increases will have a dire impact on the population’s health and lead to malnutrition. The Prime Minister’s office has insisted that Rajapaksa’s private visit will not be using state funds.
Read more here.