Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader MP Mano Ganesan says the US Government may demand the Government of Sri Lanka to increase imports from the USA to reduce the huge trade imbalance.
Taking to ‘X’, MP Mano Ganesan revealed he was informed in this regard during a recent meeting with US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung.
MP Mano Ganesan further said during the meeting he conveyed the message that ‘USA First’ and ‘Sri Lanka First’ policies should meet at a positive point for both countries.
“USA accounts for 23% of Sri Lanka’s annual exports, valued at $16B, but we import $370M worth of goods from the USA. Our host informed us that the Trump Administration may expect Sri Lanka to increase imports from the US in order to reduce trade imbalance,” he said,
The opposition MP further said that they were also informed that US cotton fabric raw material for the Sri Lankan apparel industry is one such possible import that could be increased.
“The economic rebuilding of Sri Lanka, the reconciliation process, and the aspirations of marginalized Malaiyaha Tamil Community were the other subjects of our discussion,” he added.
MP Mano Ganesan also stated that the US Embassy dismissed media reports of a scheduled visit to the US by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.
Reports of the visit arose after US President Donald Trump announced in February to impose reciprocal tariffs on several countries.
Soon after, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament that a Sri Lankan delegation would visit the US in April to discuss how Sri Lanka could avoid the reciprocal tariffs. (Newswire)