Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kicked off the second leg of his international tour with a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, after departing Thailand on Friday. This marks his fourth visit to the island nation since 2015, and his first since 2019. He becomes the first foreign dignitary to be welcomed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, who assumed office in September 2024.

The visit holds weighty strategic significance. Talks will centre on bolstering defence cooperation, alongside efforts to enhance energy, trade, and regional connectivity. A major MoU on defence is expected to be finalised, building upon the “Shared Future” vision established during Dissanayaka’s New Delhi visit earlier this year.

This defence push comes as India seeks to counterbalance China’s intensifying presence in Sri Lanka. China’s strategic grip tightened when it acquired a 99-year lease on Hambantota Port, following Sri Lanka’s debt repayment default. The docking of the Chinese surveillance vessel Yuan Wang 5 in 2022, despite Indian objections, exemplified Beijing’s expanding reach.

Adding to India’s urgency is China’s $3.7 billion proposal to build an oil refinery in Hambantota—the island’s largest foreign investment to date—agreed upon during President Dissanayaka’s recent visit to Beijing.

India now views stronger defence ties with Colombo as essential to reclaiming regional influence, especially with Sri Lanka’s pivotal location in the Indian Ocean.

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