India maintaining vigil on China ship at Sri Lanka port: Union Minister
2 years, 4 months ago

India maintaining vigil on China ship at Sri Lanka port: Union Minister

The Hindu  

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan on Saturday said the Centre was closely watching the situation arising out of the docking of a Chinese satellite tracking vessel at the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka. On the vessel being allowed to dock at the Sri Lankan port despite strong reservations expressed by India, he said whatever measures that needed to be taken in the interest of national security would be taken. On the retrieval of Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka, he said in a brief interaction with reporters at the Tiruchi airport that the judicial process was on at an international level. It would get maximum support from people in the future, Mr. Muraleedharan said.

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History of this topic

DC Edit | India, Sri Lanka head to a win-win relationship
4 weeks ago

DC Edit | India, Sri Lanka head to a win-win relationship

Deccan Chronicle  

All the signs are pointing to the possibility of a major win for India’s foreign policy as the meeting between Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Narendra Modi went off swimmingly. The swivel away from China and a new direction in restoring old civilisational ties with India may have come not only because of the leadership change …

Shame on India for its coercion of Sri Lanka: China Daily editorial
11 months, 1 week ago

Shame on India for its coercion of Sri Lanka: China Daily editorial

China Daily  

Some Indian media outlets seemed irrepressible when they reported "India beats China in diplomatic duel" earlier this week, referring to an Indian Navy submarine visiting Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, on the weekend, shortly after the island country suspended its reception of Chinese research ships under New Delhi's pressure. To begin with, New Delhi has been smearing China's marine research …

Why Sri Lanka allowed a Chinese vessel to dock at Colombo port despite Indian objections
1 year, 2 months ago

Why Sri Lanka allowed a Chinese vessel to dock at Colombo port despite Indian objections

India Today  

On Wednesday, October 25, despite India’s concerns, Sri Lanka allowed Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6 to dock at Colombo port. Sri Lankan authorities allowed the Chinese ship to dock, despite Sri Lanka president Ranil Wickremesinghe's assurances to prime minister Narendra Modi during his visit in July that the island nation would take care of India's security and strategic concerns. …

AidData Report Warns of a Chinese Naval Base in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port
1 year, 3 months ago

AidData Report Warns of a Chinese Naval Base in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port

The Diplomat  

A recent report by AidData, a research lab at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, claimed that China might establish a naval base in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port in the next two to five years. The AidData report, titled “Harboring Global Ambitions: China’s Ports Footprint and Implications for Future Overseas Naval Bases,” identified eight locations where China …

China research ship requests Sri Lanka port call
1 year, 4 months ago

China research ship requests Sri Lanka port call

The Hindu  

China has requested permission for a research ship to dock in Sri Lanka, Colombo said on August 22, following a visit by a spacecraft-tracking vessel last year that sparked security concerns from India. Last year, India raised concerns over a Sri Lanka port call in Hambantota by Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5, which specialises in spacecraft tracking and which …

How India has revamped its approach to engage with Sri Lanka amid China's growing presence in the Indo-Pacific Region
1 year, 5 months ago

How India has revamped its approach to engage with Sri Lanka amid China's growing presence in the Indo-Pacific Region

Firstpost  

India’s accelerated overtures to Sri Lanka in the past few years are emblematic of its engagements in the wider Indo-Pacific Region Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India on 20-21 July came at a time when the ties between the two neighbours have been in flux for the past few years. India’s strategic engagements with Sri Lanka gained traction …

Between India and China — Sri Lanka’s survival strategy
2 years, 3 months ago

Between India and China — Sri Lanka’s survival strategy

The Hindu  

There are limits to influence. Only those unfamiliar with Sri Lankan approaches would have believed that $4 billion in Indian assistance to Colombo at a time of economic collapse would have prompted President Ranil Wickremesinghe to deny China a berth for its tracking vessel, Yuan Wang 5, at the port of Hambantota. In a rare intervention, last week President Wickremesinghe …

Lanka needs support, not \'unwanted pressure\', says India slamming China over spy ship
2 years, 4 months ago

Lanka needs support, not \'unwanted pressure\', says India slamming China over spy ship

Deccan Chronicle  

Colombo: India on Saturday hit back at China for alleging that it was "interfering" in Sri Lanka's internal affairs, firmly telling Beijing that what Colombo needs now was "support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies" to serve another country's agenda. Hinting at India's objection to the docking of Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship 'Yuan Wang 5' at the …

Countering China’s Indian Ocean push
2 years, 4 months ago

Countering China’s Indian Ocean push

Hindustan Times  

Well before the Sri Lankan government did a U-turn on its decision to defer a visit to Hambantota port by the Chinese surveillance vessel Yuan Wang 5, the feeling in New Delhi was that Colombo would not be able to stand up to the pressure from Beijing on this issue. However, the problem – from the perspective of New Delhi …

Chinese ship visit | India knows our situation: Sri Lanka
2 years, 4 months ago

Chinese ship visit | India knows our situation: Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

Amid concerns over the arrival of Chinese ship ‘Yuan Wang 5’ to Sri Lanka, the country’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernado said, in Ahmedabad, on August 20, that he hoped it would not cause a major diplomatic row as India understands its situation. Mr. Fernado said China has made a lot of investment in Sri Lanka and has been "understanding its …

A Chinese Ship at Hambantota: A reality check for India-Sri Lanka relations
2 years, 4 months ago

A Chinese Ship at Hambantota: A reality check for India-Sri Lanka relations

Live Mint  

The Chinese surveillance ship Yuan Wang 5 has finally berthed at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port after waiting at sea for a few days owing apparently to Indian pressure on Sri Lanka to prevent the visit, also referred to as ‘the threats of big powers’. New Delhi would certainly have explained to Colombo how allowing the ship to berth at a …

We monitor all developments: Jaishankar on Chinese vessel in Lanka
2 years, 4 months ago

We monitor all developments: Jaishankar on Chinese vessel in Lanka

Hindustan Times  

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that India carefully monitors all developments in its neighbourhood, such as the visit of a Chinese tracking vessel to Sri Lanka, that have implications on national security. He was speaking a day after the Yuan Wang 5, a vessel used by China’s People’s Liberation Army to track satellites and ballistic missiles, arrived …

India monitoring Chinese vessel docked in Sri Lanka; Chinese envoy to Colombo says 'This is life'
2 years, 4 months ago

India monitoring Chinese vessel docked in Sri Lanka; Chinese envoy to Colombo says 'This is life'

India Today  

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that New Delhi was monitoring “very closely” the developments in the neighbourhood. The response was to a question on the Chinese spy vessel Yuan Wang 5 having docked in Hambantota port in Sri Lanka despite India raising objections. This comes a day after the Chinese ship docked at the port after …

India Monitors Any Development in Its Neighbourhood Which Has Bearing on Its Security Issues: Jaishankar
2 years, 4 months ago

India Monitors Any Development in Its Neighbourhood Which Has Bearing on Its Security Issues: Jaishankar

News 18  

India monitors any development in its neighbourhood which has a bearing on its security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday, as a high-tech Chinese research vessel docked at a strategic port in Sri Lanka. The Chinese vessel will be docked at the southern Sri Lankan port till August 22 for replenishment, Sri Lankan officials said. The security and …

Chinese spy ship at Hambantota: Why is there a strong pro-China, anti-India lobby in Sri Lanka?
2 years, 4 months ago

Chinese spy ship at Hambantota: Why is there a strong pro-China, anti-India lobby in Sri Lanka?

Firstpost  

Indians are more peeved at the Sri Lankan reaction than possibly the Chinese action. Maritime tryst Sri Lanka’s maritime tryst with China is mistakenly dated back to the two Hambantota deals of the past two decades — the first one a construction-cum-concession contract when war-victor Mahinda Rajapaksa was President, and the other, granting a 99-year-lease to China when present incumbent …

China says its high-tech ship docking at Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port doesn't affect any country
2 years, 4 months ago

China says its high-tech ship docking at Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port doesn't affect any country

India Today  

China on Tuesday said the activities of its high-tech research vessel will not affect the security of any country and should not be "obstructed" by any "third party," as the ship berthed at Sri Lanka's strategic southern port of Hambantota amid Indian and US concerns. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the ship 'Yuan Wang 5' has “successfully berthed” …

Why docking of Chinese spy vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Sri Lanka port is dangerous for India
2 years, 4 months ago

Why docking of Chinese spy vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Sri Lanka port is dangerous for India

India Today  

China's 'dual use spy' vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Sri Lanka's Hambantota port on Tuesday despite objections raised by India. On July 12, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry had first cleared the arrival of Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota Port. However, the Chinese vessel's visit to Hambantota Port, initially scheduled for August 11 and 17, was deferred after India raised …

Chinese navy ship docks in Sri Lanka, stokes worry in India
2 years, 4 months ago

Chinese navy ship docks in Sri Lanka, stokes worry in India

Associated Press  

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka — A Chinese navy vessel arrived at a Beijing-built port in southern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after its port call was earlier delayed due to apparent security concerns raised by India. Sri Lanka has referred to the Yuan Wang 5 as a “scientific research ship,” but there are fears in India that the vessel could be used …

Chinese research ship arrives in Sri Lanka despite India, US concerns
2 years, 4 months ago

Chinese research ship arrives in Sri Lanka despite India, US concerns

India Today  

As scheduled, Yuan Wang 5, a tracking and satellite support vessel, reached Hambantota port in Sri Lanka despite India’s objection to putting the ship in Lankan waters. The Indian Government had earlier raised security concerns based on input the Yuan Wang 5 was to assist Chinese spy satellites over the Indian Ocean from August to September. As the Chinese research …

China silent on details of talks with Sri Lanka as 'spy' ship set to dock at Hambantota port
2 years, 4 months ago

China silent on details of talks with Sri Lanka as 'spy' ship set to dock at Hambantota port

India Today  

China on Monday said Sri Lanka has allowed its satellite and missile tracking ship to berth at the Hambantota port on Tuesday, but declined to reveal details of talks with Colombo leading to the bankrupt island's government reversing its earlier stand to defer the high-tech vessel's entry. “As you said, Sri Lanka has given Yuan Wang-5 the permission to berth …

China silent on details of talks with Sri Lanka as its high-tech vessel set to dock at Hambantota port
2 years, 4 months ago

China silent on details of talks with Sri Lanka as its high-tech vessel set to dock at Hambantota port

The Hindu  

China on Monday said Sri Lanka has allowed its satellite and missile tracking ship to berth at the Hambantota port on August 16, but declined to reveal details of talks with Colombo leading to the bankrupt island’s government reversing its earlier stand to defer the high-tech vessel’s entry. “As you said, Sri Lanka has given Yuan Wang-5 the permission to …

Explained | Why is the visit of a Chinese vessel to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port controversial?
2 years, 4 months ago

Explained | Why is the visit of a Chinese vessel to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port controversial?

The Hindu  

The story so far: On August 13, Sri Lanka approved the arrival of a Chinese satellite-tracking vessel to its southern Chinese-funded Hambantota port. An official statement said the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister firmly backed the ‘One China Policy’ that President Wickremesinghe earlier endorsed. China reacted strongly after Sri Lanka, following concerns voiced by India, requested China to defer the visit …

Sri Lanka gives nod for docking of Chinese ship at Hambantota
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka gives nod for docking of Chinese ship at Hambantota

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka on Saturday cleared the arrival of Chinese space and satellite tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 on August 16 at the southern Hambantota port, a day after New Delhi reiterated its security concerns over the vessel’s visit earlier scheduled on August 11. India “carefully monitors any development having a bearing on its security and economic interests”, MEA spokesperson Arindam …

Sri Lanka’s Moment of Reckoning: Time to Choose Between Indian Humanitarian Ships, Chinese Spy Vessels
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka’s Moment of Reckoning: Time to Choose Between Indian Humanitarian Ships, Chinese Spy Vessels

News 18  

Sri Lanka has been passing through an unprecedented crisis. China’s indifference to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, partly caused by predatory Chinese loans to Colombo, seemed to show its declining interest in the island nation. Recently, it was announced that Yuan Wang 5, a high-tech Chinese spy ship, would dock at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port. The fact remains that …

Sri Lanka asks China to postpone ship visit after India protests
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka asks China to postpone ship visit after India protests

Al Jazeera  

New Delhi fears its bigger and more powerful rival China will use Hambantota port as a military base in India’s back yard. Sri Lanka says it has asked China to defer a planned visit of a Chinese ship to the island country after initially approving its arrival this week, yielding to diplomatic pressure from neighbour India to keep the military …

China asks India to stop ‘disturbing’ exchanges with Sri Lanka, says opposition to ship visit is ‘senseless’
2 years, 5 months ago

China asks India to stop ‘disturbing’ exchanges with Sri Lanka, says opposition to ship visit is ‘senseless’

The Hindu  

Reacting strongly to Sri Lanka’s request to delay the visit of a tracking vessel that was due to arrive on August 11 and had aroused India’s concerns, China on Monday described India’s opposition to the visit as “unjustified” and “morally irresponsible”, and “urged” New Delhi to “not disturb normal exchanges” between the two countries. The View from India | A …

Chinese Ambassador meets Ranil on vessel visit to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port
2 years, 5 months ago

Chinese Ambassador meets Ranil on vessel visit to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port

The Hindu  

The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka met President Ranil Wickremesinghe on August 6 to discuss the scheduled arrival of a Chinese vessel at the southern Hambantota Port this week, an official source in Colombo familiar with the development told The Hindu, days after India raised concern with Mr. Wickremesinghe. Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong reportedly sought the meeting with Mr. Wickremesinghe, …

China seeks urgent meeting as Sri Lanka defers docking of high-tech vessel: Report
2 years, 5 months ago

China seeks urgent meeting as Sri Lanka defers docking of high-tech vessel: Report

The Hindu  

China’s embassy has sought an urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities after Colombo sought a deferment of the planned docking of a high-tech Chinese research vessel at the strategic Hambantota port over which India raised concerns, sources said. The Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel ‘Yuan Wang 5’ was scheduled to dock at the Hambantota Port from August …

China seeks urgent meeting with Sri Lanka over 'India's concerns'
2 years, 5 months ago

China seeks urgent meeting with Sri Lanka over 'India's concerns'

India TV News  

Highlights China sought an urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities Lanka earlier sought a deferment of the planned docking of a high-tech Chinese research vessel Lanka's decision came after India expressed its concerns Sri Lanka crisis: China's embassy in Colombo has sought an urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities after Colombo sought a deferment of the planned docking …

Chinese ship to dock in Hambantota port only for 'refuelling': Sri Lankan minister
2 years, 5 months ago

Chinese ship to dock in Hambantota port only for 'refuelling': Sri Lankan minister

India Today  

A high-tech Chinese research ship, which is expected to dock at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port next week is only seeking "refuelling and replenishment" facilities and Colombo will not do anything to harm the good understanding and trust existing with New Delhi, a senior minister has said. The Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel 'Yuan Wang 5' is visiting Hambantota …

India miffed at Colombo for allowing PLA satellite tracker ship in Hambantota
2 years, 5 months ago

India miffed at Colombo for allowing PLA satellite tracker ship in Hambantota

Hindustan Times  

Under the cloak of a research and survey vessel, a Chinese Space and Satellite Tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 is headed towards China leased port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka on August 11 despite serious objections from Indian Navy. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe with Chinese President Xi Jinping A Luyang class guided missile destroyer with Type 071 Landing Platform …

Parliament proceedings | Vaiko seeks EAM’s statement on Chinese warship in Sri Lanka
2 years, 5 months ago

Parliament proceedings | Vaiko seeks EAM’s statement on Chinese warship in Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

Rajya Sabha member and MDMK leader Vaiko raised the issue of Sri Lanka allowing a Chinese submarine to dock in its waters this month and it was not an ordinary ship but employed for space and satellite tracking. Raising the matter during the zero hour in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Vaiko said, “Sri Lanka has allowed Chinese submarine warship to …

India Following Planned Visit Of Chinese Satellite Tracking Vessel To Sri Lankan Port
2 years, 5 months ago

India Following Planned Visit Of Chinese Satellite Tracking Vessel To Sri Lankan Port

ABP News  

New Delhi, Aug 1 India's defence and security establishment is closely following the planned visit of a Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel to the Hambantota Port next week, people familiar with the development said on Monday. The people said though the Chinese vessel 'Yuan Wang 5' is not a military platform, the visit could also be a precursor …

​India raises Chinese vessel’s visit with President Wickremesinghe
2 years, 5 months ago

​India raises Chinese vessel’s visit with President Wickremesinghe

The Hindu  

COLOMBO India has raised the scheduled visit of a Chinese research vessel to a Sri Lankan port with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, after the Ministry of Defence in Colombo confirmed the ship’s arrival, despite New Delhi giving a “clear message” on its concerns. Following media reports last week of ‘Yuan Wang 5’ — a Chinese vessel involved in space and satellite …

View from India | A Chinese ship comes to Sri Lanka
2 years, 5 months ago

View from India | A Chinese ship comes to Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

Days after denying reports about the arrival of a Chinese research vessel, and following India’s “clear message” about “carefully monitoring” the development, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence on Saturday confirmed that the vessel had sought clearance to call at the southern Hambantota Port in August. While the Ministry of Defence in Colombo did not explain why it had earlier denied …

Chinese research vessel to dock at Hambantota port in August: Sri Lankan Army spokesman
2 years, 5 months ago

Chinese research vessel to dock at Hambantota port in August: Sri Lankan Army spokesman

Firstpost  

Yuan Wang 5, Chinese spacecraft tracking ship, docking at the Hambantota port, developed largely with Chinese loans, on 11 August for two months, will conduct satellite control and research tracking in the north western part of Indian Ocean Colombo: Sri Lanka has allowed a Chinese research vessel to dock at the Hambantota port next month, the island nation’s Army spokesman …

The Sri Lankan Collapse: Colombo Must Get Its Act Straight and Keep The China Card on a Leash
2 years, 9 months ago

The Sri Lankan Collapse: Colombo Must Get Its Act Straight and Keep The China Card on a Leash

News 18  

India’s southern neighbour Sri Lanka is in a crippling financial crisis, one that it has not seen since its independence. Then in April 2021, the Sri Lankan government experimented with the food security of the nation and banned imports of chemical fertilisers to become the world’s first nation to farm organic only. Sri Lanka fell hard into the Chinese debt …

Amidst Lanka crisis, give Colombo a helping hand
2 years, 9 months ago

Amidst Lanka crisis, give Colombo a helping hand

Deccan Chronicle  

Its economy in shambles, Sri Lanka is in dire straits. It would be in India’s geostrategic interests to get Sri Lanka on its side by lending a generous helping hand in this time of acute crisis. The time to negotiate past them has come, towards which India may have to convince Sri Lanka that it is not for any blanket …

Sri Lanka Known to Play China against India, Don’t Read Too Much into Beijing-Colombo Fight
3 years ago

Sri Lanka Known to Play China against India, Don’t Read Too Much into Beijing-Colombo Fight

News 18  

Once again, much has been written about the recently reported upheaval in Sri Lanka’s China relations and the nation’s strategic tilt towards the larger Indian neighbour. Sri Lanka’s relations with China are old, though they cannot be described as equal to the umbilical cord relations that geography first and history since had established centuries before the Cold War and post-Cold …

How India Can Win Sri Lanka Back—Start with Not Reacting to Its China Ties
3 years, 2 months ago

How India Can Win Sri Lanka Back—Start with Not Reacting to Its China Ties

News 18  

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had chosen India for his first visit abroad upon assuming office in November 2019 when he pledged to “strive to elevate Indo-Sri Lankan relations to the highest level possible”. This was viewed as a positive development given that in 2013, as defence secretary, he had alleged India’s role in destabilising Sri Lanka — “Had India acted responsibly, …

News Analysis | A perception shift in relations between Sri Lanka and China?
3 years, 6 months ago

News Analysis | A perception shift in relations between Sri Lanka and China?

The Hindu  

From the time the pandemic struck last year, China has topped the charts in providing crucial and timely support to Sri Lanka -- by way of over $ 2 billion in loans and a currency swap, and Sinopharm vaccines totalling over a million in donation, and about six million for procurement so far. In resistance to the Port City Bill, …

Chinese presence in Sri Lanka 'could pose a threat', keeping close watch: Indian Navy
3 years, 6 months ago

Chinese presence in Sri Lanka 'could pose a threat', keeping close watch: Indian Navy

India TV News  

With the Chinese Navy getting new port projects in Sri Lanka, a top Indian Navy officer said that it 'could pose a threat' to Indian interests in the region and there is a need to keep a close watch on such activities. In an interview with ANI, Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar said the Indian Navy is …

With Rajapaksa Clan in Full Control, Chinese Grip Over Sri Lanka is Getting Tighter
3 years, 7 months ago

With Rajapaksa Clan in Full Control, Chinese Grip Over Sri Lanka is Getting Tighter

News 18  

Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe was in Sri Lanka last week seeking to shore up support for Chinese projects at a time when new faultlines have emerged in the island nation on China’s growing footprint. Even during the pandemic, Beijing’s overtures to Sri Lanka have continued unabated with an awareness that perhaps this a unique moment to push Chinese …

India-Sri Lanka Relationship Hits Roadblocks. Is China Playing Dirty Games in Indian Ocean?
3 years, 11 months ago

India-Sri Lanka Relationship Hits Roadblocks. Is China Playing Dirty Games in Indian Ocean?

News 18  

Two recent developments seem to have affected India’s relationship with Sri Lanka. Last week, Sri Lanka pulled out of a joint partnership agreement with India and Japan to develop the much-hyped East Container Terminal at the Colombo port, sending shockwaves both in New Delhi and Tokyo. After Gotabaya Rajapaksa became Sri Lanka’s President in November 2019 and his elder brother, …

Viewing India-Sri Lanka ties through prism of power game with China is reductive, overlooks countries' civilisational connect
5 years, 1 month ago

Viewing India-Sri Lanka ties through prism of power game with China is reductive, overlooks countries' civilisational connect

Firstpost  

It is now commonplace to view India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties through the lens of New Delhi’s great power game with Beijing. Newly-elected Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s recent two-day visit to India — his first tour abroad since assuming office — presents an opportunity to list some of these options. In the interview to The Hindu mentioned above, Gotabaya stressed …

China faces new competition as Japan, India eye Sri Lanka port
5 years, 7 months ago

China faces new competition as Japan, India eye Sri Lanka port

Live Mint  

Tokyo/New Delhi: India, Japan and Sri Lanka are weighing the development of a terminal at the bustling port of Colombo in a country that’s seen ongoing political controversies related to investments from China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Unlike the Chinese-owned Hambantota port in southern Sri Lanka — which has been heavily criticized — the Colombo port project is a commercially …

What Sri Lanka’s political turmoil means for India
6 years, 1 month ago

What Sri Lanka’s political turmoil means for India

Live Mint  

The Sri Lankan parliament descended into chaos last week as supporters of newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked the opposition. It comprised key opposition figures in an alliance against Rajapaksa, who was perceived as leaning towards China at the cost of India’s concerns, including over the rehabilitation of Tamils displaced by the long-running Sri Lankan civil war. President Maithripala …

Chaos in Sri Lanka, China’s long shadow and rise of anti-democratic forces complicate India’s security challenge
6 years, 2 months ago

Chaos in Sri Lanka, China’s long shadow and rise of anti-democratic forces complicate India’s security challenge

Firstpost  

In January 2018, Freedom House, the US-funded NGO that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights, came out with a startling revelation. Turmoil in Sri Lanka affects India’s nerve centres, and its descent into authoritarianism may hold threats to India’s strategic interests, not the least because the island nation has become the latest theatre for a …

Behind Sri Lanka's political turmoil lies an India-China struggle for influence: New Delhi-Tokyo port project and Beijing's debt diplomacy
6 years, 2 months ago

Behind Sri Lanka's political turmoil lies an India-China struggle for influence: New Delhi-Tokyo port project and Beijing's debt diplomacy

Firstpost  

India, the traditional power in the region, is muscling into port and other projects, pushing back hard against China. The big fear for India is that Sri Lanka, just off its southern coast and on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, could become a Chinese military outpost. Debt Diplomacy One of the officials briefed on the cabinet meeting said …

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