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From Friendship to Dependency: Analysing Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policymaking Towards China book cover

1st Edition

From Friendship to Dependency Analysing Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policymaking Towards China

By Bhagya Senaratne Copyright 2027
276 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book employs a Neoclassical Realist framework to analyze Sri Lanka's foreign policymaking towards China, emphasizing domestic factors that shape decision-making processes. It examines why Sri Lanka-China relations since the 1990s have been criticized for financial over-reliance and debt trap allegations. It argues that these relations are deeply influenced by domestic political dynamics,... Read more

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Tables and Figures

Abbreviations

Introduction: From Friendship to Dependency

  1. Sri Lanka-China Bilateral Relations: An Overview

  2. Conceptual Framework: Neoclassical Realism as a Tool of Foreign Policy Analysis

  3. The Political Landscape of Sri Lanka: A Contemporary Overview

  4. Sri Lanka's Strategic Culture

  5. Key Drivers of Bilateral Economic Relations

  6. Security Relations

  7. Trends in Bilateral Relations

Conclusion

Appendix I: Business, Economic and Investment Delegations from and to China 

Appendix II: Major Projects Financed with Foreign Borrowings

Bibliography

Index

Biography

Bhagya Senaratne serves as Director of Education at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, Sri Lanka. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.She was previously the inaugural BRI Postdoctoral Fellow of Global Asia at the Center for Global Asia, New York University Shanghai, China, and a Senior Lecturer at General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka. She co-edited Pakistan-Sri Lanka Relations: A Story of Friendship (2017) and Sri Lanka's Post-Independence Defence Policy: Past, Present and Future Projections (2023). 

"This book fills a much-needed vacuum in unpacking the domestic and external drivers behind Sri Lanka's China tilt. Grounded in neoclassical realism, it delivers a thorough analysis revealing that China is not always benevolent—a vital contribution to South Asian strategic studies."

— Srikanth Kondapalli, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi


"China’s growing presence in Sri Lanka has been a subject of considerable debate in India. By examining critical years of policymaking in Sri Lanka, Bhagya Senaratne’s From Friendship to Dependency offers a nuanced account of the domestic bargains, structural constraints, and external pressures that continue to shape Colombo’s choices. This book is an essential read for policymakers, academics, and students interested in Sri Lanka, India’s neighbourhood, and China’s BRI."

— Aditya Gowdara Shivamurthy, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, India

"This is a well-researched and thought-provoking analysis of Sri Lanka’s evolving relationship with China. Grounded in neoclassical realist lens, its careful attention to domestic dynamics adds much-needed depth to ongoing debates and makes it a valuable contribution to both academic and policy discussions."

— Chulanee Attanayake, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

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