Economy

19 September 2025
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking during this year's May Day rally, has defied the opposition's doomsday predictions during his first year in office, but faces questions about progress on structural reforms and tackling poverty.
Used cars from Japan are popular in Sri Lanka, where traffic also runs on the left-hand side. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Automobiles

Japanese used car exports to Sri Lanka jump after ban lifted

Value of pre-owned vehicles imported from Japan hit $318m in 1st half

18 August 2025
An apparel factory at an export processing zone in Colombo on April 9. Sri Lanka's apparel industry has long attracted brands like Victoria's Secret and Calvin Klein by brandishing its reputation as a source for ethically manufactured clothing.
Trump tariffs

Sri Lanka apparel sector braces for impact from Trump's 20% tariff

Garment makers fear what Americans will do when faced with higher prices

8 August 2025
The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA3 container ship sinks in the Arabian Sea on May 25, allowing the plastic pellets it was carrying to wash up on swathes of south Indian beaches. (Photo by Indian Coast Guard via AP)
Environment

Plastic spills threaten Sri Lanka and India as Asia rules polymer trade

Production cuts needed to protect vulnerable species, fisheries, tourism and communities

18 July 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump issued his latest round of tariff letters on July 9, targeting the Philippines and Brunei, among others.
Trump tariffs

Philippines to face 20% US tariff, Trump says in letter to Marcos

Manila joins list of Southeast Asian trading partners hit with higher 'reciprocal' duties

10 July 2025
Employees work on a newly built tank at Ceylon Petroleum's Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery in Colombo on May 11, 2018. Sri Lankan energy industry veterans are pushing back against India's designs on a key deepwater port. (Source photos by Reuters, Kosaku Mimura and Shinya Sawai)
International relations

Dissanayake faces litmus test as India eyes Sri Lanka energy stakes

Anti-establishment outsider weighs India's offer against island's energy vulnerability

9 July 2025
The latest BYD models on display in a Colombo showroom. (Photo by Munza Mushtaq)
Electric vehicles

Sri Lanka car market tilts toward EVs with BYD, other Chinese leading

Island's automobile industry awakes after 5-year hiatus with China entrants

23 June 2025
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, president of Sri Lanka, gives a speech during a 2025 May Day rally organized by the National People's Power Party in Colombo.
Opinion

Trump's tariffs must spur Sri Lanka to deeper regional integration

A US trade deal can't be the cornerstone of the island nation's economic strategy

15 May 2025
Japanese cars are everywhere in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. (Photo by Nikkei)
Automobiles

Japanese used cars rule the road in Sri Lanka. Here comes BYD

Chinese EVs make move into South Asian nation's reopened import market

21 March 2025
A man selling toys counts Sri Lankan currency notes at his shop in a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 17, 2025.
Opinion

Sri Lanka's mirage of economic reform

Nation must come up with bold policies to avert another sovereign default

6 March 2025
Sri Lanka imposed an import ban on cars in 2020 and became a country in which used vehicles gain in value. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Sri Lanka resumes car imports to stimulate economy, collect duty

Government hopes for $1bn tax revenue but cars are beyond most pockets

4 March 2025
Tata Motors' Altroz Racer on display at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi.  
Your Week in Asia

China economy snapshot, India car show, ASEAN ministers meet

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

12 January 2025
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (front center) and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya (front, second from right) pose with newly appointed cabinet ministers in Colombo on Nov. 18, days after a landslide electoral victory for the anti-establishment National People's Power party.
Policy Asia

Sri Lanka turns to untried leftists to lead break from poverty, strife

Voters place faith in Dissanayake's NPP debutants to cure economy and ethnic tensions

29 November 2024
Sri Lanka's President and National People's Power party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake shows his ink-marked finger after voting in the parliamentary election in Colombo on Nov.14.
22 November 2024
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate in New Delhi on Oct. 8 during polls in northern Haryana state. 
Your Week in Asia

India state polls, G20 summit, Hong Kong national security case

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

17 November 2024
U.S. chip giant Nvidia is hosting a two-day AI summit in Tokyo with its CEO Jensen Huang set to talk about the technology's future.
Your Week in Asia

Nvidia AI summit, U.N. climate talks, Japan leadership vote

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

10 November 2024
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake signs his oath document of office during the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on Sept. 23.
Politics

Sri Lankans reject political dynasties for leftist outsider

Dissanayake's challenges with economy, Parliament may add uncertainty in IMF deal

24 September 2024
Anura Kumara Dissanayake addresses supporters during a rally ahead of the presidential election, on the outskirts of Colombo on Sept. 18.
Opinion

Sri Lanka's Dissanayake now must prioritize political reform

New president should empower local governments and tackle the devolution issue

24 September 2024
A man walks past an election banner of presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa outside the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party office near Colombo.
Your Week in Asia

Sri Lanka votes, Midea lists in Hong Kong, BOJ policy meeting

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

15 September 2024
Campaign posters for Anura Kumara Dissanayake of National People's Power in Colombo on Aug. 19. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: Raring to vote

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

6 September 2024
Supporters of President Ranil Wickremesinghe rally in Dambulla on Aug. 24: For better or worse, the incumbent is the Sri Lankan face of the IMF's rescue program. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

Election campaign energizes Sri Lankans weary of economic turmoil

Presidential candidates tap public misgivings about IMF-directed policy changes

4 September 2024
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe hailed the debt restructuring plan as a "significant milestone." (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
27 June 2024
Drivers push auto rickshaws in a line to buy gasoline from a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in July 2022 amid an economic crisis.
Economy

Developing countries face record interest payments as rates rise

Growing debt burden casts shadow over global economic outlook

12 June 2024
An Indian-Russian joint venture has won a 30-year contract to manage Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, built with Chinese funding and called the world's emptiest airport, in southern Sri Lanka. 
International relations

Sri Lanka turns to India as counterbalance to Chinese presence

Vital power, port, airport projects involve neighbor as Asian rivals focus on Indian Ocean

9 May 2024
Laos' weakening currency threatens faster food price inflation. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Economy

Laos, other debt-laden Asia-Pacific nations under pressure from strong dollar

ADB boosts funding for vulnerable countries amid debt trap fears

7 May 2024
Sri Lankan capital Colombo. The nation has failed to strike an agreement with international bondholders on restructuring about $12 billion in debt.
Sri Lanka crisis

Uncertainty looms over Sri Lanka as debt restructuring talks hit snag

Upcoming presidential election ramps up pressure to accelerate negotiations

20 April 2024
Sagala Ratnayaka, adviser to the Sri Lankan president on national security, talks with Nikkei in a recent interview. (Photo by Satoshi Iwaki) 
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's debt repayments to be suspended until 2028

Security adviser says the country is in final talks with creditor nations

6 April 2024
A woman buys vegetables at a market in Colombo in November 2023. Sri Lanka is relying on international support as it recovers from a deep economic crisis.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka and IMF reach staff-level deal on second bailout review

Board approval would unlock $337m in funds for economic recovery

21 March 2024
Sri Lanka's garment industry is striving to climb the value chain with a focus on sustainability, as the government seeks a green economic renaissance. 
Asia Insight

Sri Lanka cultivates sustainable fashion for an economic revival

Government and garment makers aim to catch green wave to boost competitiveness

5 March 2024
Workers hold a Chinese flag at Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on Aug. 16, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping wants his country to play a larger role in global affairs through Belt and Road Initiative projects such as this one.
Asia Insight

Sri Lanka's China 'debt trap' fears grow as Beijing keeps investing

New $4.5 bn Sinopec deal comes amid debt restructuring, BRI lending shift

2 January 2024