Description: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake as they discussed the deepening of strategic ties between the two countries. Joint sustainable energy project has been announced with the introduction of a 120 – megawatt solar power plant which would be developed in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates. The presidents also discussed debt restructuring as India has assisted Sri Lanka with $4 billion in 2022 when the country faced substantial financial crisis due to market fluctuation. Modi’s visit to Colombo signals a battle over influence with China, which has already developed $3.2 billion oil refinery in Sri Lanka’s port city of Hambantota.
Impact: India’s varied approach towards developing strategic ties signals the country’s goal to reestablish itself as a major regional and global player. Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka exemplifies India’s approach towards devising sources and methods of soft power within countries of interest all the while countering the omnipresence of China in the region. India is leveraging Sri Lanka’s debt to consolidate influence over the island country and expand its geostrategic outreach in considerably fluctuating geopolitical period. China, actively engaged in a global trade war with the US, wouldn’t be late to respond towards India’s expansion of influence as the country is facing severe economic pressure and would aim to develop geostrategic regional interest to counter India’s influence.