Sri Lanka's Cabinet has approved the signing of an agreement between the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka and the National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China to strengthen cooperation on immigration control.
The proposed agreement covers several areas of institutional cooperation, including information exchange, immigration administration, legitimate travel, border-management-related cooperation and capacity building.
Information and intelligence exchange
Under the proposed framework, the two institutions are expected to facilitate exchanges between senior officials and official delegations and strengthen the exchange of important official information and intelligence.
The agreement is also intended to improve institutional coordination between the immigration authorities of the two countries.
Facilitating legitimate travel
The proposed cooperation includes facilitating visa, immigration and emigration matters affecting citizens involved in areas including business, investment, tourism, technology and scientific activities.
The agreement should not be described as abolishing existing immigration or visa requirements.
Cooperation against trafficking and organised crime
The proposed agreement also includes cooperation relating to organised criminal activity, including trafficking in persons and smuggling.
Capacity-building workshops are expected to be organised to strengthen the knowledge, skills and capabilities of immigration officials.
Legal and foreign-policy clearances obtained
The draft agreement has received clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism and from the Attorney General.
Cabinet subsequently approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs to sign the agreement.
Government rejects link to recent Chinese-national arrests
At the Cabinet media briefing, Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa rejected suggestions that the agreement had been developed specifically in response to recent arrests involving Chinese nationals.
He said the agreement followed discussions conducted over a longer period and should be viewed as broader institutional cooperation rather than a response to a particular criminal case.