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Japan highlights Lanka’s importance for Free and Open Indo-Pacific
View(s):By Ameen Izzadeen
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasha Hayashi’s short visit to Sri Lanka identified his country’s concerns over challenges to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, while Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring programme also featured in bilateral talks yesterday in Colombo, according to Japan’s Deputy Assistant Minister for Evidence-Based Policymaking, Yukiko Okano.
Acknowledging Sri Lanka’s “important’ location in the Indian Ocean”, she said Japan would like to take this opportunity to discuss how “we could realise the free and open Indo-Pacific concept that our prime minister is advocating as the gist of the objectives of the visit this time”.
Ms. Okano explaining Japan's policy on Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Pic by M.A. Pushpakumara
Speaking to a few local journalists in Colombo yesterday, Ms Okano revealed that during talks with Sri Lankan leaders, Minister Hayashi expressed his wish to continue active cooperation with Sri Lanka to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). “The FOIP plan was announced by Prime Minister Kishida when he visited India in March this year, and we’ve been advocating it to make the Indo-Pacific region more free and open to anyone. Sri Lanka is a very important part of this Indo-Pacific arena”, she pointed out.
A destroyer of Japan’s Maritime Defence Forces is moored at the Colombo Port on its way to Japan from a visit to West Asia, highlighting Japan’s recognition of Sri Lanka as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific region. The Colombo Port is also promoting its Dockyard facilities for visiting seagoing vessels.
She said Japan hoped Sri Lanka-Japan cooperation on the FOIP would increase with Sri Lanka assuming the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in October. President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Mr. Hayashi that Sri Lanka welcomed Japan’s pro-active contribution to the IORA, though Japan was not an Indian Ocean nation.
Asked whether China’s presence in Sri Lanka is seen by Japan as a threat to FOIP, Ms Okano said the FOIP as a concept is not limited to, or focused on some countries. “It is an open concept, a democratic concept. Any country can work with us and with the countries involved. Don’t think we see China’s presence here as a threat to the FOIP”, she said.
She wanted to make it clear that the FOIP was not a rival to China’s Belt-and-Road initiative.
Ms. Okano said during talks with President Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry yesterday, a key topic was Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring. Mr. Hayashi expressed hope for further progress in debt restructuring and underscored the importance of transparent and comparable debt restructuring that involves all creditor countries.
She said President Wickremesinghe assured the visiting Foreign Minister that he would ensure transparency and comparability in debt restructuring, while also appreciating Japan’s contribution to the debt restructuring talks with Sri Lanka’s overseas creditors. She said Japan appreciated China’s positive role in the debt restructuring process.
Ms. Okano said the Foreign Minister did not delve deeper into any specific project but indicated that Japan’s projects in Sri Lanka depended on the success of the debt restructuring process. She said there was “very little talk” on the resumption of the Japanese-funded Light Rail Project, which was revoked by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government.
On President Wickremesinghe’s appeal to Japan to expand the tripartite Bay of Bengal initiative involving Japan, Bangladesh, and India’s northern regions to Sri Lanka and the southern regions of India, Ms. Okano said, “We didn’t really discuss this subject in depth this time. The President raised several projects for Japan’s favourable consideration, but for us now, the important thing is this debt restructuring process. We will go as quickly and smoothly as possible. As regards projects, we need to take into consideration this debt restructuring process, and after the process (is completed), depending on Sri Lanka’s financial and fiscal situations, we can discuss how to move forward and things like that. So during this visit, they didn’t really discuss projects in detail”.
On Sri Lanka’s appeal to Japan to help obtain membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), she said the matter figured at the meeting between the two Foreign Ministers. “Our response is that RCEP doesn’t have stipulated rules on new admissions at the moment. We (will) take note of Sri Lanka’s intention, but I think it has to go to member states to consider how to proceed with it”. She also drew attention to Japan’s openings for Sri Lanka’s skilled labour force, as reflected in the agreement signed yesterday to offer scholarships to Sri Lankans under the joint development scholarship (JDS) project.
JDS is a scholarship programme between Japan and Sri Lanka, and there is a system for specified skilled workers to come to Japan provided they pass the relevant exam, she said.
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