Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during a ceremonial reception at the Presidential palace in New Delhi on Saturday

The Rajapaksa brothers, who are perceived to be pro-China, choosing India to be their first foreign visit is being seen as a shift of stance by the island nation

NEW DELHI: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday landed in the capital months after his brother and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa too chose India for his first foreign visit after assuming power.

The Rajapaksa brothers, who are perceived to be pro-China, choosing India to be their first foreign visit is being seen as a shift of stance by the island nation. 

“I will be in Delhi on a state visit, meeting my good friend PM @narendramodi, the President, the External Affairs Minister & other govt.officials. Looking forward to building new avenues of cooperation with this visit & strengthening the already existing ties between our nations,” the Sri Lankan Prime Minister tweeted before his departure from Colombo.

Experts say that Lanka is now keen on keeping both India and China in good humour.

“It has become important for Sri Lanka to maintain a balance between India and China. A lot of developmental grant, around 60 per cent, comes from India while the Chinese keep pouring in aid to the country. After Hambantota, they cannot afford to anger the Chinese,” a research scholar from the Indian council of World Affairs said.

The Sri Lankan government was forced to hand over the Hambantota port to the Chinese after they failed to repay debts. The Chinese government was severely criticised by activists for indulging in ‘debt-trap diplomacy’.

A JNU researcher specialising on India-Sri Lanka relations was of the opinion that the free trade agreement that the island nation has with New Delhi is one of the prime reasons that Colombo needs to keep India in good stead.

“The FTA has boosted trade between the two countries drastically in the past four years. Lankan exports to India have increased by over 300 per cent. It is a boost to their economy,” she said.

Rajapaksa is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday and have discussions on various issues like trade, defence cooperation and fishermen issues. He will then proceed to Varanasi, Bodh Gaya and Tirupati before heading back home.

According to sources, the NSA-level India-Maldives-Lanka dialogue would be re-launched during the Lankan Prime Minister’s visit. 

The trilateral talks were shelved due to the political situation in the Maldives. Mauritius and Seychelles, sources said, could also be added to the dialogue as per the original plan.