China will suffer losses if Sri Lanka scraps Colombo Port project
BEIJING: China will suffer heavy losses if the new Sri Lankan government halts the $ 1.5 billion Colombo Port city, bringing to fore the need for restraint in India-China competition in economic sector in small countries, an official daily said here today.
“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,” state-run Global Times said in its first editorial after the defeat of pro-Beijing Mahinda Rajapaksa by Maithripala Sirisena who promised more balanced foreign policy and review all China-aided projects.
“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.
“Many recent reports referred to the docking of a Chinese submarine in Colombo in September, indicating that the move by the new President may suggest a change in the geopolitical landscape in the Indian Ocean”, it said.
“These uncertainties may prove true since the implications of the latest power shift in Sri Lanka will likely exceed those in a European country or the US”.
“But they are not necessarily subversive for a China-Sri Lanka relationship that is built on a sound practical basis and can transcend the power shift”, it said.
With a power transition, observers say this poses challenges to the Sino-Sri Lankan ties and particularly to the mega projects planned by the two sides, it said.
Sri Lanka said last week that it would review the construction of a Chinese-backed port close to Colombo, citing issues over transparency in the contract and environmental reasons, it said.
But the new government also said the reassessment does not indicate a cancellation of the project, and construction can resume if the review finds no fault, the editorial said.
Years after the civil war, Sri Lanka is in urgent need of comprehensive economic development, which makes China an irreplaceable partner given its infrastructure capacity and mature manufacturing industry, it said.
“While China is advancing the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road strategy, Sri Lanka intends to become a shipping hub on the Indian Ocean”, it said referring to Rajapaksa endorsing the Silk Road plan despite reservations from New Delhi.
“Competition between China and India in Sri Lanka is not exclusive or confrontational. All sides have learned to keep the necessary restraint in politically interfering with competition in the economic sector,” it said.
“As to whether China has been too aggressive in pushing investment in Sri Lanka, the answer will lie in the development of the bilateral relationship in future years. As long as political development in Colombo is logical, China’s investment will not be in vain,” it said.
“Chinese people that are willing to risk the new world are brave. When things don’t pan out, they deserve more encouragement from us since they are taking on the most challenging share of China’s rise”, it said.
(PTI)
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We need China against dominance, exploitation and subversion of SL by India and the imperial West. China is our good proven friend. While India has off-loaded their shoddy goods to us at high prices. India created the problem of 13th Amendment in our Constitution while holding a gun at JR’s head. This is to help radical Tamil nationalists to break away, initially by requesting Federalism. This is the start of the collapse of our Sinhala nation, which our ancient kings fought hard against India to prevent it. With Federalism granted as promised by RW to win the Tamil vote, the army camps in N & E will be removed to the S and Tamil nationalists will build their own Defence Forces and Police. Tamils from Tamil Nadu will flood SL to capture the rest of the country to make it a greater Tamil Nadu which will eventually secede from India. It is great pity that the previous govt failed to alert the voting Sinhalese population to this threat. I hope they will remedy this in the general election by voting out the current govt. But MR should build a new party and leave SLFP to win the Gen. election. Ofcourse the current govt will sling mud at MR through out the current reign, to hoodwink the Sinhala vote against MR.
SL NEEDS CHINA WHEN TAMILNADU TERRORIST SUPPORTERS START DECTATING THING TO THE INDIAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AS IT HAPPENED LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO. SUPPORTERS OF THE NEW SAVIOURS WILL REAP THE FRUITS SOONER THAN THEY THINK PROBABLY.