Colombo — 9DASHLINE

The changing dynamics of the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship

Written by Varuna Shankar

Japan provides the opportunity for Sri Lanka to reduce its dependence on China for economic reform, while Sri Lanka provides Japan an opening to penetrate deeper into the South Asian market.

South Asia9DLFebruary 26, 20249dashline, varuna shankar, The changing dynamics of the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship, Japan-Sri lanka relationship, investment, Southeast Asia, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayash, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, digital econo, digital economies, MOU on port development, financial crisis, Gotabaya government’s dependence on Chinese financial assistance, 2.9 billion bailout from the IMF, Sri Lanka's strategy, economic freefall, humanitarian crisis, twin deficit, COVID-19 stagnation, tourism industry, Gotabaya administration, Jaya Container Terminal project, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, East Container Terminal, jointly develop the East Container Terminal, Ports Authority, funded by Japan, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was cancelled, Japanese-funded light rail transit (LRT) project was suspended, Tokyo and Colombo, India-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship, West Container Terminal, 52 per cent of Sri Lanka’s bilateral debt, Sri Lanka's debt, World Bank, IMF, Japanese Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s vision, Japanese investments, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Bandaranaike International Airport, viaduct at Bandaranaike International Airport, apanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, connectivity infrastructure in Sri Lanka, devaluation of the local currency, Colombo, investment zones, South Asian market

2023: More tumultuous times ahead for Sri Lanka?

9DASHLINE asks several experts how they assess the prospects for political and economic recovery in 2023 after the turbulence of last year.

South Asia9DLFebruary 2, 20232023: More tumultuous times ahead for Sri Lanka?, 9DashLine, Sri Lanka, economic crisis, anti-government protests, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, economic recovery, RAJNI GAMAGE, Unsustainable debt, balance of payment challenges, bankrupt, foreign debt obligations, Mass protests, World Bank, poverty, IMF, tax reforms, state-owned enterprise reforms, geopolitics, balancing game, India, Japan, Western powers, China, debt restructuring, democracy, police surveillance, arrests, political opposition, emergency laws, military, rule of law, ASANGA ABEYAGOONASEKARA, Rajapaksas, powder keg, people’s uprising, Ranil Wickremasinghe, iron fist, Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), economic hardship, law and order, Ukraine war, oil prices, Colombo, financial assistance, political-economic crisis, internal and external geopolitical shocks, BHAGYA SENARATNE, currency default, youth-driven protests, Economic stability, political stability, popular mandate, legitimate president, Extended Fund Facility (EFF), inflation, accountability, attitudinal change

Sri Lanka’s political-economic crisis and its new president

Written by Asanga Abeyagoonasekera

While internal political maturity is required to emerge from the political-economic crisis with objective policy measures, Sri Lanka needs immediate regional and extra-regional assistance to help the country stabilise through the existing political model or through democratic elections in the coming months.

Sri Lanka in crisis: Why the past lives on in its collective future

Written by Ambika Satkunanathan

The determination of the Rajapaksas to stay in power seems partly due to their inability to comprehend protestors’ demands for accountability or to internalise their descent from god-like status to memes and jokes.

Duterte, the last of the drug warriors?

Written by David Hutt

Much of the coverage of Southeast Asia’s drug wars has focused on the drug warriors themselves. But if, as experts say, populist politicians regard drug wars as an easy way to capture votes, perhaps the problem lies first with society, not with politics.

Faultlines9DLApril 5, 20229dashline, David Hutt, Philippines, Duterte, War on Drugs, drug wars, extrajudicial killings, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand, Manila, Bangkok, Asia, Elections, Yingluck, Pheu Thai Party, PUBLIiCUS Asia, Gloria Lai, International Drug Policy Consortium, Senator Leila de Lima, ABS-CBN, Rappler, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina, US, United States, Rapid Action Battalion, Joko Widodo, Jakarta, Indonesia, human rights, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, capital punishment, decriminalisation, Vietnam, Hanoi, Laos, Vientiane, Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka, Colombo, Carlos H. Conde, Human Rights Watch, Colonel Romeo Caramat, Phillipine National Police, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Bongbong, Controlled Substances Act, methamphetamine, Pulse Asia, Social Weather Stations, WR Numero Research, the last of the drug warriors?, Southeast Asia, UN, United Nations, PUBLiCUS, Drugs, Leila de Lima, Widodo, marijuana, Marcos, Duterte’s Drug War, Thaksin’s Drug War, Asia Times, The Diplomat

Sri Lanka’s national economic crisis and its impact on foreign relations with China

Written by Rajni Gamage

Sri Lanka’s latest national economic crisis is also triggering a crisis in its foreign policy. The country’s government is compelled to diversify its foreign policy engagement in order to manage its relatively large foreign debt.

Sri Lanka: Navigating geopolitics, regional asymmetry, and a national crisis

Written by Nilanthi Samaranayake

Outreach to address COVID-19 economic distress perpetuates the inaccurate perception that Sri Lanka is heavily indebted to China and is therefore prone to advancing Beijing’s geostrategic ambitions.

India and Sri Lanka: The subnational diplomatic dynamics

Written by Andrea Malji

China’s increasing presence in Tamil Nadu’s backyard reflects the quickly changing regional security environment but also draws attention to the tangled web of subnational, regional, and international diplomacy in South Asia.