Sri Lankas Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chinese Communist Party Political Bureau Member, Yang Jiechi meeting in Colombo on October 9, 2020. – Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said the overnight visit was the first by China in the South Asian region since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and was aimed at strengthening already close ties between the two nations. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP) (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)