Politics

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry says the country's bilateral lenders are "aware" of the urgency for debt restructuring.
Interview

Sri Lanka working flat out for China, Japan, India debt deals

Foreign minister says 'we cannot force anyone' as IMF bailout hangs in balance

5 November 2022
Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Sept. 3: Wickremasinghe is a proxy president in the eyes of protesters.
Opinion

Sri Lanka will not resolve its political crisis without elections

President Ranil Wickremasinghe is struggling without a public mandate

16 October 2022
Drivers push auto rickshaws in a line to buy fuel in Colombo in late July, during the country's economic crisis. The government has said it aims to finalize a $2.9 billion IMF bailout by December.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka eyes December bailout, IMF says timing hard to predict

Colombo seeks one-stop shop for talks with creditors like China, India, Japan

29 September 2022
The logo of the Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing 2019
Belt and Road

China slows foreign lending as Belt and Road problem loans triple

Sri Lanka falls into debt crisis while Pakistan is strapped for cash

20 September 2022
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told Sri Lanka that Washington will support its debt restructuring effort.
Sri Lanka crisis

U.S. backs Sri Lanka's debt restructuring effort: Yellen

Treasury chief calls for all creditors to cooperate

7 September 2022
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former Sri Lankan president, fled the country in July.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's ex-president Rajapaksa returns from brief self-exile

Former leader under tight security as nation faces surging inflation, tax increase

3 September 2022
Sri Lanka, suffering under an economic crisis and skyrocketing inflation, has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund to obtain $2.9 billion.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka to obtain $2.9bn from IMF, needs creditors to play ball

Final board approval still hinges on lender assurances and promised reforms

1 September 2022
A demonstrator waves a Sri Lankan flag earlier this year: After protests in the crisis-hit country brought down one president, his replacement appears close to securing IMF help.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka makes late push for IMF bailout after unveiling budget

Lender to announce answer Thursday; experts deem president's plan 'positive'

31 August 2022
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe speaks to Nikkei Asia in Colombo on Aug. 23. (Photo by Ryosuke Hanada)
Interview

Sri Lanka president urges China to change tune on debt as IMF visits

In interview, Wickremesinghe says creditors 'must sing from same hymn sheet'

24 August 2022
Protesters carry traditional kerosene lanterns during a demonstration against fuel price increases in Dhaka. Kerosene now costs the equivalent of about $1.20 per liter, versus 84 cents before hikes on several types of fuel. (Photo by Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Politics

Bangladesh anger over fuel prices echoes Sri Lanka, Pakistan

Political pressure mounts as nation joins neighbors in seeking IMF aid

17 August 2022
China's Yuan Wang 5 survey ship arrives at the port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 16. The vessel's port call was delayed after India raised objections over apparent security concerns.
Sri Lanka crisis

China 'spy ship' docks in Sri Lanka, India gifts surveillance plane

Vessel's controversial visit exposes big powers' tug of war over bankrupt island

16 August 2022
The Yuan Wang 5, a Chinese research and surveillance ship with satellite tracking equipment, is seen during a 2016 visit to New Zealand. Plans to dock the ship in Sri Lanka this month have raised concerns in India.
International relations

Sri Lanka caught between China and India over Beijing's 'spy ship'

Desperate for both powers' help, Colombo reportedly seeks to 'defer' vessel's visit

6 August 2022
Sri Lanka's newly elected president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaks to the media in Colombo on July 20. 
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's new president: Can 'the fox' defy skeptics?

Wickremesinghe has outmaneuvered rivals -- now comes the hard part

1 August 2022
A man pushes an out-of-gas autorickshaw in Colombo on July 27: Sri Lanka is looking to China and others to ease the economic crisis that has resulted in dire shortages of fuel and other essentials.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka hopes for $4bn in China aid 'soon' as envoy defends ties

Ambassador insists Beijing is supportive; new president extends protest clampdown

28 July 2022
People wait to collect their passports at Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration Department in June. Issuances in 2022 have already topped the full-year figure for 2021.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lankans chase foreign jobs to help families survive inflation

Passport issuances jump as weak rupee offers chance to maximize remittances

26 July 2022
Security personnel stand guard near Sri Lanka's presidential secretariat in Colombo after a raid on an anti-government protest camp early on July 22.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka crackdown overshadows new PM's swearing-in

Fears of more clashes as president picks Rajapaksa ally Gunawardena for premier

22 July 2022
New Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken office in the midst of a deep economic crisis.
Sri Lanka crisis

How much does Sri Lanka owe China? Question looms over new president

Broad measure puts Beijing's share at 20% of national total, above official data

22 July 2022
Ranil Wickremesinghe, center, Sri Lanka's new president, leaves a Buddhist temple on July 20 as he prepares to attempt to solve the country's economic crisis.
Sri Lanka crisis

Meet Wickremesinghe: Sri Lankan president sworn in as doubts swirl

'Man with no mandate' faces Asia's toughest economic challenge

21 July 2022
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has won a parliament vote to become the country's president.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's Wickremesinghe elected president after Rajapaksa exit

Security tight as six-time PM has already faced heavy pressure from protesters

20 July 2022
Dawn breaks over Sri Lanka's blockaded presidential secretariat in Colombo on the morning of July 15, when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's long-awaited resignation became official.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka eyes Rajapaksa successor: 5 things about life after Gota

Experts warn next leader faces 'mammoth task' but must restore stability

15 July 2022
Sri Lankan military officers stand guard after protesters vacated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence on July 14, saying they would let parliament seek a solution to the president's unfinished resignation.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa jets to Singapore, emails resignation

City-state says president has been granted entry but not asylum

15 July 2022
Tear gas rises as demonstrators gather outside the Colombo office of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on July 13.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka rages at PM after President Rajapaksa flees to Maldives

With 'Terminator' gone, Wickremesinghe declares emergency as acting president

13 July 2022
Auto rickshaw drivers line up to buy gas near a fuel station in Colombo on April 13: A forewarning that more vulnerable countries could go bust.
Opinion

Ukraine war hastens Sri Lanka's economic meltdown

Impact of Russian sanctions likely to be felt by a string of poorer nations

13 July 2022
A shortage of kerosene has robbed Sri Lankan fishermen of their livelihoods. (Photo by Prabhu Mallikarjunan)
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lankan fishermen, lacking fuel, stew over India's intentions

As incomes dry up amid political chaos, simmering territorial dispute rears head

11 July 2022
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2021. 
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa to resign Wednesday: parliament speaker

'Unprecedented' unrest the final straw after months of economic turmoil

10 July 2022