US highlights Lanka's key role in global energy routes, warns of 'Debt-Trap' risks

In a high-level hearing before the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, a top official of the US State Department underscored the critical strategic importance of Sri Lanka to global energy security and maritime commerce.

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The HFAC SCA Subcommittee Hearing on "South Asia: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Region," outlined a comprehensive strategy to protect vital waterways from external coercion and "debt-trap diplomacy".

The subcommittee highlighted the Indian Ocean as one of the world's busiest maritime corridors, carrying what Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga described as the "lifeblood of global commerce and energy".

During his opening statement, the Chairman cited a critical statistic: the Indian Ocean carries more than 80% of the global seaborne oil trade and approximately 75% of the world's energy and a vast portion of container shipping pass through these lanes.

"I believe I heard Sri Lanka has something like 75% of all the world's energy passes within miles of it," Huizenga said.

In response, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Paul Kapur, highlighted that Sri Lanka's geographical location gives it an "outsized importance" in the Indo-Pacific region but warned that this strategic value also makes the island nation a primary target for external coercion.