Sri Lanka and regional rivalry between India and China

Sri Lanka has once again entangled itself in an unnecessary international controversy with the Government granting approval for a Chinese naval asset that has the potential to carry out extensive surveillance of the Indian Ocean to dock at the Hambantota port. The Yuan Wang 5, one of China’s latest generation of space-tracking ships, which monitors satellites, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, is due to dock at Hambantota on 11 August. 

The Ministry of Defence had earlier denied this pending visit but a spokesman told the Hindu newspaper that the vessel will be arriving “mainly for replenishment, including fuel” adding that “such vessels periodically come from various countries such as India, China, Japan, Australia. It is nothing unusual.”

The Defence Ministry is not wrong to note that there is a multitude of naval vessels that visit Sri Lanka routinely from numerous countries. However, it ought to know that every naval vessel is not the same and there could be dire consequences to Sri Lanka’s own interests through the interpretation of such maritime cooperation.

For example, in late 2014, Sri Lanka allowed two Chinese submarines to dock at the newly constructed South Container Terminal of the Colombo port. This was despite concerns raised by India regarding the security implications of submarines being allowed to enter a Sri Lankan port which gives it operational capability within the Indian Ocean. The docking at a terminal which was run by a Chinese company also raised doubts about the bona fides of Chinese investments in Sri Lankan infrastructure. 

The operational capability of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean with port calls in Sri Lanka had the potential to dramatically change the security paradigm in the Indian Ocean region and this incident in 2014 significantly affected Indo-Lanka relations at that time. 

A similar disregard for Indian security interests was shown by the J.R. Jayewardene government in the 1980s, in the midst of the Cold War, which resulted in painful Indian interventions in our country that included the arming of terrorist organisations, the violation of airspace in the infamous “Parippu Drop” over Jaffna and eventually having Indian troops on our soil as part of the Indo-Lanka accord. All these humiliating consequences could have been avoided if the Jayewardene administration had handled Indo-Lanka relations with greater astuteness acknowledging the genuine security concerns of our neighbour.

The Indian government has informed it is monitoring the planned visit of the Chinese ship to Hambantota next week. The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said this week that “New Delhi would protect its security and economic interests.” Relations between India and China have been strained since armed clashes on their border two years ago killed at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

Sri Lanka need not get entangled in the regional rivalry between India and China. It is in Sri Lanka’s interest to maintain peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region. It should not engage in activities that destabilise this fragile regional security or enhance militarisation of the region. By allowing offensive platforms such as submarines and surveillance vessels to dock in Sri Lankan ports the Government is unnecessarily dragging the country into regional and international conflicts that are best left alone. The Wickremesinghe administration in particular should learn from the mistakes of the Jayewardene regime in order to avoid such catastrophic mistakes.