14 August 2022
China is showing its strength everywhere on and around India’s borders. Infiltrated into India by building roads and settling villages. Now the occupation of the Indian Ocean has threatened the security of South India. Sri Lanka conveyed India’s concerns to China but did not accede to the dragons. After the Himalayas, the Indian Ocean is now in danger. India has tried hard to keep China away from Sri Lanka, but in the end it has failed miserably at the international level. Which is being considered a big failure of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bowing to Chinese pressure, Sri Lanka has allowed Chinese tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 to reach the international port of Hambantota. The ship will reach Hambantota on August 16, the 75th Independence Day of India. India and the US have failed to give concrete reasons to oppose the arrival of the Chinese spy ship.
The ship was earlier scheduled to reach Sri Lanka on August 12, but the Sri Lankan government postponed the date after Modi’s objection. Allowed again after 5-6 days.
The Chinese Ambassador in Colombo held an in-camera meeting with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
China-India competition
A Chinese research and survey vessel for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. There are Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ships. This island with a population of 22 million has got a chance to establish its dominance. For the past 15 years, India and China have been competing for favorable diplomatic and trade relations with Sri Lanka because of its strategic position in the Indian Ocean. In which China has won. India has lost. The world surprised Modi while helping Sri Lanka. India was praised for helping Sri Lanka. Now infamous India’s security is at stake.
China is not ready to accept the word of Sri Lanka under any circumstances. China said that it is completely unfair to put pressure on Sri Lanka. India on Friday rejected China’s objection.
America – Big blow to India
Sri Lanka and China dealt a major blow to Modi’s policy after India expressed strong concern citing national security. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabri met Indian diplomats. In this meeting, there was a detailed discussion about the arrival of the Chinese ship in Hambantota. US Ambassador Julie Chung also expressed concern about the ship in a meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. After which the Chinese spy ship suddenly changed its track.
A Chinese spy ship was allowed to anchor in Sri Lanka during the tenure of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The approval process involved the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Defense Ministry and the Sri Lanka Port Authority. This approval process was kept very secret by Sri Lanka and China. When India sought clarification from the Sri Lankan government in this matter.
India has traditionally taken a tough stand on Chinese military ships in the Indian Ocean since Congress governments. China occupied Sri Lanka for the first time. Relations between India and Sri Lanka have been strained since Colombo allowed China’s nuclear-powered submarine to dock at one of its ports in 2014. The Sri Lankan official also accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of forcing Adani to give him work.
Sri Lanka has leased its port to China. In 2017, Colombo leased the southern port to China Merchant Port Holdings for 99 years. Because Sri Lanka showed its inability to repay the loan taken from China.
The World Bank agreed to give him a loan of $600 million.
Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman met Indonesia Finance Minister H.E. Sri Mulyani Indrawati on the sidelines of #G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors #FMCBG Meeting in Washington D.C., today. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/KTwFarmaS0
— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) April 18, 2022
India’s help
India has helped Sri Lanka with crores of rupees. India has given assistance of $ 3.5 billion to Sri Lanka in various forms.
India has helped by sending fuel and food items on time. Without India’s help, Sri Lanka would have had a tough time.
India’s Adani Group was given a major stake in the development and operation of the Western Container Terminal at Colombo Port.
India had promised $1.9 billion. An additional $1.5 billion loan was decided for imports.
India signed an agreement to provide a $500 million loan to the neighboring country for the purchase of petroleum products. India also sent 65,000 tonnes of fertilizers and 4 lakh tonnes of fuel. India decided to send medical supplies. Onions were supplied from India at reasonable prices.
In return, India entered into an agreement that allowed Indian Oil Corporation access to the British-built Trincomalee oil tank farm.
A helping hand was extended from India to Sri Lanka. After donations by various organizations and hospitals, India provided 25 tonnes of medical supplies.
The name is to develop a 100 MW power plant near Trincomalee, India. 44,000 tonnes of urea fertilizer was given.
The world surprised Modi while helping Sri Lanka. India was praised for helping Sri Lanka. Now infamous India’s security is at stake.
previous help
The civil war in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the rebels and India supported the Sri Lankan government during the civil war. Bilateral relations between the two countries soured in 1980 when some Sri Lankan Tamil rebels took refuge in India. Rajiv Gandhi Sent an army to help Srikanala. 1200 soldiers of India were martyred. Then Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a Tamil tiger. A large number of Sri Lankan nationals from Tamil-majority areas in Sri Lanka have taken refuge in Tamil Nadu, India. After the civil war ended in 2009, India supported the Sri Lankan government. However, Sri Lanka is yet to implement the 1987 India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord, which promised to hand over power to all Tamil-majority provinces.
loan from china
China has so far given a loan of more than $ 6.5 billion to Sri Lanka, which is 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s total debt.
China has a lot of investment in Sri Lanka. China is a major creditor to Sri Lanka with investments in infrastructure. Financial assistance of USD 4 billion has been provided. In early 2021, with the economic crisis, the Sri Lankan government took a loan from China to meet its foreign exchange shortfall. A currency exchange facility was also obtained. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.
bankrupt country
The bankrupt country is facing acute shortage of food, fuel, medicine. Even after standing in line for several days, people are not getting petrol and diesel. People have taken to the streets. Sri Lanka’s old cabinet has had to resign. The Rajapaksa family, which once shone at the pinnacle of power, had to give up power due to public pressure. The then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to leave the country. Recently all party government has been formed in the country. Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected President. This can happen in India. Because the Modi government of BJP does not have good relations with any neighbor other than Bangladesh.
relationships
After Mahinda Rajapaksa took office as president in 2005, Sri Lanka’s stance with China was recognized as “a more reliable partner than a promoter of domestic economic growth”.
More and more infrastructure projects were awarded to China. These include the multi-billion dollar Hambantota Port and the Colombo-Galle Expressway.
The first visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Colombo in 2014 was also a clear diplomatic signal to Delhi.