New US ambassador coming to Lanka with special focus on China and Indo-Pacific region

The White House on Tuesday announced that President Joe Biden had nominated Julie Chung as the country's new ambassador to Sri Lanka. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and class of Minister-Counsellor.

The appointment is significant for two reasons. First, this is the first time, the US President appointed an ambassador to Sri Lanka exclusively. In the past US mission overlooked the Maldives also but with the Maldives becoming a virtual US military base, the US will have its own ambassador there.

Secondly, Ms Chung is currently serving as acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and a seasoned US diplomatic personnel with expertise in South East Asia.

Her appointment came in the wake of growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka in recent years. Ambassador Chung is also critical of Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, often linking it with China's so-called ‘debt diplomacy'.

When testified before the US Senate last year on China’s role in the Indo-Pacific region, the South Korean born US diplomat noted that “their investment is hurting the environment and violating local labour laws. We’ve brought these issues to light with the region and raised it with our government counterparts."