The Winning Formula? Sri Lanka’s Sneaky US Trade Dance

 — And The UNP’s Demand for Transparency Drama

Sri Lanka’s in the hot seat, trying to charm the US into lowering tariffs and opening doors for more American goods. Treasury Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma just dropped the tea — they’ve scored a cut in the Trump-era tariff from a brutal 44% down to a “manageable” 20%. That’s a win, right?

But don’t get too excited just yet. Suriyapperuma admits that full details of the deal are under wraps thanks to non-disclosure rules, leaving the public guessing what strings were pulled behind the scenes. We do know trade talks have included the usual spicy topics — intellectual property, agriculture, and import quotas for oil (yep, Sri Lanka’s eyeing US oil imports now).

What’s the secret sauce? According to Suriyapperuma, Sri Lanka’s push to slash corruption and “clear the business path” played a major role in convincing the US to soften those tariff blows. Sounds like clean governance can pay off — if only in trade negotiations!

Meanwhile, across the aisle, the opposition UNP isn’t having it. They’re demanding full disclosure of all trade and defense agreements made with the US. Transparency, they say, is non-negotiable — especially when deals involve national security and big economic shifts.

Political insiders whisper this push for disclosure is less about just openness and more about putting pressure on the current government, stirring public debate, and gaining leverage ahead of the next election.

Here’s the kicker — while tariffs shift and trade talks roll on, Sri Lanka’s on the brink of doubling its tax from 10% to 20% in just seven days. So exporters and importers alike are holding their breath, hoping this dance with the US leads to better days, not just more headaches.

Bottom line: Sri Lanka’s playing a high-stakes game balancing trade perks, corruption reforms, and political power plays. And with secretive deals and opposition demands heating up, this drama isn’t cooling down anytime soon.