The Chinese Minister for Ethnic Affairs, Pau Yue, is set to arrive in Sri Lanka today and will be touring the island from the 19th to the 23rd. Following the Northern War, Sri Lanka primarily engaged with Western nations on matters of ethnic relations. Numerous Western countries provided guidance, while scholars visited to offer advice and assess progress. This marks the first time Sri Lanka is engaging with China on ethnic relations.
Among China’s minority groups, the most prominent are the Uyghur Muslims. Western media alleges that China has detained millions of Uyghur Muslims, and international human rights organisations accuse China of committing genocide against them. The United States, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and others have accused China of crimes against humanity. However, China maintains that it is successfully combating terrorism.
During Sri Lanka’s civil war, India and Western nations declined to provide weapons, citing allegations of genocide against minorities. However, China stepped in, offering military support throughout the conflict. From the administration of J.R. Jayewardene to that of Mahinda Rajapaksa, China consistently supplied Sri Lanka with weapons. After the war, when Western countries and international human rights organisations accused Sri Lanka of human rights violations, China continued to lend its support.
When Western nations, including the United States, passed resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council accusing Sri Lanka of wartime human rights violations, China sided with Sri Lanka. As a result, the Tamil people of the North-East viewed China as an adversary. When the Chinese ambassador attempted to build ties with MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), they responded unfavourably. In retaliation, China launched relief projects directly for the people of the North-East, bypassing the TNA in an effort to win public support. The Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka later praised the electoral defeat of the TNA in the North-East and welcomed the JVP’s victory in the regional elections.
Against this backdrop, the Chinese Minister for Ethnic Affairs is now visiting Sri Lanka. It remains unclear whether his visit is aimed at advocating for the rights of Sri Lankan minorities or offering guidance to the National People’s Power government on China’s approach to minority suppression.
