Sri Lanka’s election upset just destroyed a linchpin of China’s foreign policy

[$@rJen]

Sri Lanka’s election upset just destroyed a linchpin of China’s foreign policy

Mithripala Sirisena is ready to bid farewell to China's dominance in Sri Lanka. (Reuters/stringer)
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Written by
Heather Timmons@HeathaT
January 8, 2015
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa just conceded defeat to his one-time ally, Maithripala Sirisena, in an upset that will have an impact far beyond the teardrop-shaped island and its 20 million residents.

Sri Lanka currently has a limited impact on global affairs, thanks in part to an economy crushed by years of civil war. Nevertheless, it is a key to the flow of future global trade due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean, which puts it right in the middle of shipping lanes between Asia and Europe.

China in particular has identified Sri Lanka as a key part of its “21st Century Maritime Silk Road,” an idea first heralded by president Xi Jinping in late 2013 as new unifier of nations across south and east Asia, a springboard for economic growth, and a signature component to China’s growing prominence as a global superpower. Sri Lanka would specifically be a key point between China’s eastern ports and the Mediterranean.

(Reuters)
To cement Sri Lanka’s role, Beijing pledged to finance a $1.4 billion “port city” in Colombo that would become a major part of this nautical “road,” and had been wooing Rajapaksa and his government with millions of dollars in additional investments, and dozens of agreements and treaties. The port project includes creating nearly 600 acres of reclaimed land off Sri Lanka’s west coast, right next to a China-controlled container port that is already South Asia’s largest. It has been criticized by Rajapaksa’s opponents, environmentalists, and tourism boosters, but construction on it started this summer.

With the election, that section of China’s Maritime Silk Road has probably been scrubbed off the map: Sirisena vowed to scrap the port deal to protect the coastal area for tourism.

But that isn’t all. His take on Sri Lanka’s growing relationship with China, which recently surpassed the United States to be Sri Lanka’s second-largest trading partner after India, appears to be anything but friendly. In his election manifesto (pdf), released in mid-December, Sirisena never mentions China specifically, but his view on the evils of credit from abroad (pg. 8) seems to be a direct criticism of the country’s growing relationship with Beijing:

The land that the White Man took over by means of military strength is now being obtained by foreigners by paying ransom to a handful of persons. This robbery is taking place before everybody in broad daylight…If this trend continues for another six years our country would become a colony and we would become slaves…Sri Lanka is rapidly getting isolated from the international community.
Sirisena has promised to completely upend Sri Lanka’s foreign policy, in part by reorganizing the foreign service. In addition, he pledged to establish “equal relations” with India, China, Pakistan, and Japan, which he calls the “principal countries of Asia.” For Beijing, being on equal footing with its Asian neighbors in Sri Lanka is going to be a big step down.

 

[axisofevil]

This is where Intel should be activel monitoring what and how China and Pakistan will react.

 

[bobsm]

Colombo project to continue after environmental analysis: Sri Lanka - Economic Times

Colombo project to continue after environmental analysis: Sri Lanka
PTI Jan 21, 2015, 09.18PM IST

BEIJING: Assuring China of maintaining strong ties, Sri Lanka's new government has said that it will continue with the Beijing-funded $1.5 billion Colombo Port City project after the environmental assessments are met.

"Our new government will continue to maintain good relations with China to carry out a pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation. The Sri Lankan government will not change the policy of friendship with China," C Mahendran, foreign affairs secretary of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was quoted as saying by China's state-run Xinhua news agency.



"For a long time, China has always helped Sri Lanka. China has played a major role in Sri Lankan national unity and national construction and development. The Sri Lankan government and people are deeply grateful," he added.

Regarding the port city project, which is the largest investment project to date between the two countries, Mahendran said the Prime Minister had given his assurance that the project would continue once environmental assessments are met.

Mahendran described it as a "big opportunity" for Sri Lanka to attract much-needed capital investment.

The project, regarded as one of the key venture for Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Maritime Silk Road plan, was mentioned as strategic rivalry between India and China in Sri Lanka in China's state-run Global Times yesterday.

"The Chinese side will suffer heavy losses if the $1.5 billion project that started in September is halted. Given similar cases in Myanmar, this has triggered many concerns domestically," the first editorial after the Lankan elections in which pro-Beijing former President Mahinda Rajakpaksa was defeated by Maithripala Sirisena said.

"The West and many Asian countries are willing to see such uncertainties arising between China and Sri Lanka. India particularly has its own doubts since it always considers Sri Lanka as within its sphere of influence," it said.

Earlier in an interview, Wickremasinghe had made it clear that Sri Lanka will take necessary action where there is corruption in awarding a contract to any country, including China.

"We are looking into all foreign contracts and local ones, and where there is corruption, we will certainly ensure we take action whether it is by Chinese or any other country," he had said.

 

[Azizam]

Sri Lanka won't throw China (2nd largest economy in the world) away in favour of India. No Asian country has the ability to isolate itself the main powerhouse in the region. India should realise this. Sri Lanka is not in a position to play politics as it is a small country with a small economy and I think India is not either.

 

[axisofevil]

YOU guy are retarded. India doesn't expect Sri Lanka to dump China. However, INDIA expects Sri Lanka to obey and respect the security pact it has with India. China better not send another Sub to Sri Lanka without informing India. There will be consequences as you have already seen.

 

[SrNair]

Sri Lanka won't throw China (2nd largest economy in the world) away in favour of India. No Asian country has the ability to isolate itself the main powerhouse in the region. India should realise this. Sri Lanka is not in a position to play politics as it is a small country with a small economy and I think India is not either.

We dont have any problem with your relation with China.And neither oppose their investments.
But China cant move forward without Indian Cooperation and they know that.If we invite Japan and US in to this sector China is not even a player in this region.

 

[Gibbs]

We dont have any problem with your relation with China.And neither oppose their investments.
But China cant move forward without Indian Cooperation and they know that.If we invite Japan and US in to this sector China is not even a player in this region.

There is absolutely no reason for china to cooperate with India when it comes to their economic interests with other sovereign nations.. Whether it's India's neighbors or not.. Security aspects are another thing, especially if there are bilateral agreements on regional security like what Sri Lanka have with India.. So it's quite rightfully one party should be aggrieved if the other does not stick to those agreements

 

[SrNair]

There is absolutely no reason for china to cooperate with India when it comes to their economic interests with other sovereign nations.. Whether it's India's neighbors or not.. Security aspects are another thing, especially if there are bilateral agreements on regional security like what Sri Lanka have with India.. So it's quite rightfully one party should be aggrieved if the other does not stick to those agreements

Your relations with China is one thing.And security problems for us due to China is other thing.
Honestly I didnt expect these much of anger from our leaders when your President allowed two Chinese nuke subs to dock in SriLanka.Whatever you tell forexplain your relation with China .They have fixed plan for encircle us.And like you said we cant compromise our security at any case.
China aimed SL for dual purpose.To extract your resources and to watch us in South India .You know that a lot of R&D of India ,strategic is in SI and you know that.
We cantvallow such an evil plan of China

 

[axisofevil]

There is absolutely no reason for china to cooperate with India when it comes to their economic interests with other sovereign nations.. Whether it's India's neighbors or not.. Security aspects are another thing, especially if there are bilateral agreements on regional security like what Sri Lanka have with India.. So it's quite rightfully one party should be aggrieved if the other does not stick to those agreements

No need to cooperate but we will make it hard for the Chinese to do business in our backyard. These aren't pure economic interests either. There are strings attached. This is what India has realized all over where the Chinese are doing their business. It's a national security issue and will be managed rightfully so.



Your post is BS. YOu are trying to make a point when there is none. Sri Lanka has a security pact with India. They violated it 2 or 3 times. We are going to act.



Sovereign nations? if it wasn't for West's meddling, we would have taken over Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, etc. China did it with Tibet and continues to create problems with other nations for land. Where is the freedom for Tibet. Double standards irritate the world.


Don't ever forget and think the world does not remember the mass killings of Tamils. What a pathetic practice of Buddhism if I ever saw one. Seems Buddhism is only practiced on paper, not in reality.


Maybe you need to open your eyes a bit and see what China is doing in our backyard. Only fools will think its purely commerical interests.

 

[Providence]

While you south asians are trying to give it what ever color you seem fit, but I am of a firm opinion that local politics is what has been the determinant factor in weeding the incumbent out.

Anything other than that is pure chest thumping !

 

[Genesis]

YOU guy are retarded. India doesn't expect Sri Lanka to dump China. However, INDIA expects Sri Lanka to obey and respect the security pact it has with India. China better not send another Sub to Sri Lanka without informing India. There will be consequences as you have already seen.

lol, did you just say obey, even China and the US doesn't use that word.

The there will be consequences, lol, what is this, and he got thumbs up, lol that really says it all. You are threatening China as well, wow, if I didn't know better, I thought you are the 2nd biggest economy and we are the 10th.

No need to cooperate but we will make it hard for the Chinese to do business in our backyard. These aren't pure economic interests either. There are strings attached. This is what India has realized all over where the Chinese are doing their business. It's a national security issue and will be managed rightfully so.



Your post is BS. YOu are trying to make a point when there is none. Sri Lanka has a security pact with India. They violated it 2 or 3 times. We are going to act.



Sovereign nations? if it wasn't for West's meddling, we would have taken over Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, etc. China did it with Tibet and continues to create problems with other nations for land. Where is the freedom for Tibet. Double standards irritate the world.


Don't ever forget and think the world does not remember the mass killings of Tamils. What a pathetic practice of Buddhism if I ever saw one. Seems Buddhism is only practiced on paper, not in reality.


Maybe you need to open your eyes a bit and see what China is doing in our backyard. Only fools will think its purely commerical interests.

Dude, even America doesn't make it hard for China to do business in North America, neither does China make it hard to do business in East Asia or China itself for America. But you will make it hard for us in the entire south Asia and you call it your backyard.

This mentality of the Indian members, I won't say all, cause I don't speak for all, but this one dude, and that other new guy, damn.

It's 2015, age of globalization, get with the program.

 

[Gibbs]

No need to cooperate but we will make it hard for the Chinese to do business in our backyard. These aren't pure economic interests either. There are strings attached. This is what India has realized all over where the Chinese are doing their business. It's a national security issue and will be managed rightfully so.



Your post is BS. YOu are trying to make a point when there is none. Sri Lanka has a security pact with India. They violated it 2 or 3 times. We are going to act.



Sovereign nations? if it wasn't for West's meddling, we would have taken over Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, etc. China did it with Tibet and continues to create problems with other nations for land. Where is the freedom for Tibet. Double standards irritate the world.


Don't ever forget and think the world does not remember the mass killings of Tamils. What a pathetic practice of Buddhism if I ever saw one. Seems Buddhism is only practiced on paper, not in reality.


Maybe you need to open your eyes a bit and see what China is doing in our backyard. Only fools will think its purely commerical interests.

Lol.. This is not your freaking fantasy Bollywood bub.. This is the real world.. Take over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal etc ?? You and which army ?? A bunch of terrorists kicked the shit out of your army and sent back 3000 odd body bags.. remember that

Not trying to disrespect the dead especially men in uniform but a over jingoist retarded kid needs to be answered in vain.. Lol and who made you a expert in Buddhism ?? It does not matter if it's Tamils or pygmies.. We will kick the shit out of anybody that resort to terrorism or threaten the territorial integrity of the country.. And there is nothing you can do about it,. And as a sovereign country it will do business with anybody it please as well.. Get real

 

[Armstrong]

Sri Lanka won't throw China (2nd largest economy in the world) away in favour of India. No Asian country has the ability to isolate itself the main powerhouse in the region. India should realise this. Sri Lanka is not in a position to play politics as it is a small country with a small economy and I think India is not either.

International Relations shouldn't be a zero-sum game; we've acted like that in the past !

When it comes to India; they just can't get over their infatuation of a romanticized notion of a Greater India which pretty much includes every country in South Asia and with the modern day State of India being the nucleus of it. Now don't get me wrong India doesn't want to conquer our countries.....far from it; it just doesn't want the relationship to be on an equal footing and instead be a relationship of the sort that if everything is good then everything is good but if any of us puts a toe out of line India can slap us back inline without us doing much about it.

In other words a somewhat hegemonic reading of inter-state relations within South Asia is what we're talking about.

China on the other is very cool in the sense that it doesn't really give a frig what you do within your own countries as long as you don't tell them what to do within their country. It doesn't really arm-twist you into meeting their demands and doesn't give a wooden nickle whether a genocidal maniac or a dove of peace is leading your country as long as whatever commitment you make out of your own volition is fulfilled.

 

[axisofevil]

Lol.. This is not your freaking fantasy Bollywood bub.. This is the real world.. Take over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal etc ?? You and which army ?? A bunch of terrorists kicked the shit out of your army and sent back 3000 odd body bags.. remember that

Not trying to disrespect the dead especially men in uniform but a over jingoist retarded kid needs to be answered in vain.. Lol and who made you a expert in Buddhism ?? It does not matter if it's Tamils or pygmies.. We will kick the shit out of anybody that resort to terrorism or threaten the territorial integrity of the country.. And there is nothing you can do about it,. And as a sovereign country it will do business with anybody it please as well.. Get real

China took over Tibet right? We took over Goa, did you forget? We took over Hyderbad and we split Pakistan in 2. That's not a fantasy, that's called reality. The LTTE didn't force India to leave. Blame that on a weak PM. As for the LTTE, why aren't you laughing about how they used to run things in Sri Lanka. It took a lot of help to neutralize them, not to mention India allowing it (Another weak PM by the name of MMS).


You seem to need a little education. Tamils have been there since ancient times. In fact, you guys are the same. Your DNA reveals the hidden truth. Get real. You don't like it but the facts speak otherwise.


China has been neutralized in Sri Lank and will continue to be watched over. India has made sure a friendly PM has been elected who will look after our interests and opinions.

You're obviousy, a pakistani who pretends you are a Sri Lankan.

You not trying to disespect the men in uniform but you did. How does it feel to slaughter innocent women and children with no weapons? Doesn't take an expert to see right and wrong.

Like I said, 3000 soldiers are a drop in the bucket. Don't forget IPKF wasn't prepared to fight the LTTE with their gloves off.

lol, did you just say obey, even China and the US doesn't use that word.

The there will be consequences, lol, what is this, and he got thumbs up, lol that really says it all. You are threatening China as well, wow, if I didn't know better, I thought you are the 2nd biggest economy and we are the 10th.


Dude, even America doesn't make it hard for China to do business in North America, neither does China make it hard to do business in East Asia or China itself for America. But you will make it hard for us in the entire south Asia and you call it your backyard.

This mentality of the Indian members, I won't say all, cause I don't speak for all, but this one dude, and that other new guy, damn.

It's 2015, age of globalization, get with the program.

Your mentality is pretty low. How can you compare America to India? America cannot and will not be bullied be China.

 

[Genesis]

Your mentality is pretty low. How can you compare America to India? America cannot and will not be bullied be China.

say what.....

I'm saying even world powers like China and America cannot and will not say things like what you just said.