Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has hit back at the island’s media this week, after a supposed diplomatic ‘gaffe’ where she mistakenly thanked Taiwan, China’s rival, during a ceremony attended by the Chinese Ambassador, Qi Zhenhong.
The event, which marked the handing over of clothing material for Sri Lankan schoolchildren by the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), saw Amarasuriya publicly express gratitude to the ‘Republic of China’ (ROC)—the official name for Taiwan. The slip occurred in the presence of Ambassador Qi Zhenhong.
Sri Lanka officially does not recognise Taiwan and maintains strong bilateral ties with the PRC. The PRC regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has ramped up its pressure on countries to sever any association with the ROC amid growing geopolitical tensions.
The Sunday Times, which labelled the incident a ‘diplomatic gaffe’ claimed “the entire day began on the wrong footing with the prime minister’s absence at the ceremony at the Colombo Port and the Chinese ambassador kicking his heels waiting for her”. The Chinese envoy reportedly left the venue, returning nearly an hour later once the Prime Minister finally appeared.
Amarasuriya however pushed back against claims that the government’s diplomatic relations were faltering.
“The opposition and certain media institutions aligned with them are trying to create the impression that our government’s international relations are weak,” she said. “However, all such attempts have been consistently defeated.”
According to the Sunday Times, this week also saw another diplomatic misstep when no Sri Lankan government representative attended Iraq’s centennial diplomatic celebration at a Colombo five-star hotel. Despite it being the responsibility of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetti to represent the government at diplomatic events in December, he failed to appear, nor was a substitute sent in his place.
The Iraqi embassy proceeded with the function, despite the glaring absence of any Sri Lankan officials, even as both nations’ flags adorned the stage. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa attended the event, marking his presence in contrast to the government’s no-show.
The absence was particularly notable given Iraq’s status as Sri Lanka’s top buyer of tea, accounting for 27.11 million kilograms of exports in the first ten months of this year.
Read more from the Sunday Times here.