Sri Lanka: an island in the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific

Presentation of a research project as part of the "Jeudis de la Maison Suger", a residents' research seminar.

This session will be presented by Aruni Wijewardane, who will discuss Sri Lanka’s strategic role in the Indo-Pacific region. She will highlight the geopolitical and maritime issues related to the island’s location at the heart of the Indian Ocean’s trade routes.

"Throughout history,  Sri Lanka ( Ceylon) has been  impacted by its strategic island location  in the centre of the Indian Ocean , on the East-West maritime trade routes. In the 21st century with the emerging multipolar international order and new centers of economic and technological power in China, India, ASEAN as well as major economies of East Asia, the Indian Ocean re-appears at the centre of geopolitics, as a part  of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategic space. The freedom of navigation and stability in the Indo-Pacific is critical for the global economy and the smooth flow of energy and commerce through its sea lanes. Simultaneously major power rivalry reappears in the Indian Ocean – in particular between the world’s first and second largest economies US and China as well as the regional power India.   These and other powers seek influence on strategically located islands in the Indian Ocean trade routes such as Sri Lanka at the crossroads of some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, with its world class ports, maritime infrastructure and logistics and ranked among the premier maritime and transshipment hubs in the world. Today, with the US-Iran war in West Asia a new geostrategic layer connects to the Indo-Pacific  with the developments in the maritime chokepoints of West Asia - Bab el Mandeb and Hormuz through which global energy and other critical supplies are transported into the Indo-Pacific. Sri Lanka is just recovering from a severe economic crisis and the leverage gained from its maritime infrastructure  is very much part of the island’s strategy for economic growth. However SL must navigate through the intensifying geopolitical contestation in the Indian ocean and the rivalries that are played out in its ocean neighbourhood."

Speakers

• Aruni Wijewardane is a Sri Lankan diplomat who served as the Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. At present she is a Visiting Fellow at Centre des Études et Recherches Internationales ( CERI ) at SciencesPo Paris researching foreign policy and the  geopolitics of the Indian Ocean.
• Discussant: Sugeeshwara Gunaratne is Sri Lanka's Ambassador to France