High-Level Visits From India And China To Support Cyclone Relief in the Island

by Staff Writer 21-12-2025 | 7:58 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Sri Lanka is set to host two high-level diplomatic visits from India and China this week, in a development that carries significance well beyond immediate disaster response in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka tomorrow on an official visit.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku, said that India's External Affairs Minister is expected to reach the island by tomorrow afternoon.

Minister Jaishankar will be arriving in the country to distribute an Indian relief package to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

Deputy Minister Kodithuwakku said that Dr. S. Jaishankar's visit also aims to mark a new milestone in Operation Sagar Bandhu, India’s initiative to support disaster-affected people as Sri Lanka continues recovery efforts in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, and amid ongoing engagement between Colombo and New Delhi on economic stabilisation, humanitarian support, and regional cooperation.

Closely following the Indian visit, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress Zhao Leji will arrive in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, December 23, for a two-day visit, accompanied by a high-level delegation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that he will arrive with an additional delegation to observe the next phase of assistance being extended to people in Sri Lanka, affected by recent disasters.

Zhao Leji, the third-most powerful leader in the Chinese government, following Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang, is scheduled to meet President Anura Kumara Dissanayake later the same day.

While both visits are linked to discussions on post-Cyclone Ditwah recovery and assistance, their timing and the seniority of the delegations has drawn attention in diplomatic circles.

India and China remain Sri Lanka’s two most consequential regional partners, and their near-back-to-back engagement highlights Colombo’s continued strategic relevance in the Indian Ocean region.