Sri Lanka’s position, which is both strategically and geographically significant, has been a blessing and at times a curse, and many countries have tried to befriend and/or influence the country. However, regardless of the nature of these international relationships, as a nation that has been struggling to get back on its feet for decades, the country’s leaders have a responsibility to ensure that they make more international friends than foes.
It was due to projects such as the Hambantota Port, the two Terminals of the Colombo Port, and the Colombo Port City that Sri Lanka’s position in the global political arena received much attention in the recent past, and that attention was rarely in favour of Sri Lanka.
The Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe on 28 April held bilateral talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, where the two countries discussed China’s past and future support for Sri Lanka. However, this meeting, which in the larger context seems to be a step towards strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, caught the attention of both the local and international media, especially the Indian media.
Some Indian media outlets questioned the underlying motive of this meeting, claiming that the Chinese Defence Minister’s meeting was not only about political and economic co-operation between the two countries, but was also about military links. This allegation against the China-Sri Lanka meeting comes in a context where the Chinese Defence Minister had already held a meeting with Bangladesh this week, and with Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan last year. India feeling unsafe when a country that has challenged its power in the region is holding meetings with its immediate neighbours is understandable. What is not clear is Sri Lanka’s position in this struggle for power and geographical superiority.
There was a time when China was seen as a god-send with an undying friendliness towards Sri Lanka. However, this short-lived good feeling started to fade as it gradually became clearer to Sri Lanka that the Chinese debt mountain was big enough to suffocate the entire nation for not one, but several generations, with growing speculation that China’s relationship with Sri Lanka is mainly transactional, and that behind the unending support from China lies a certain obligation Sri Lanka would have to fulfill at some point, especially with regard to the intensifying cold war between China and India. However, Sri Lanka is yet to figure out what it seeks from these dealings with both China and India.
The true nature of and the strings attached to the assistance Sri Lanka has received from both India and China has been questioned many times, especially by domestic forces, concerning the long term repercussions Sri Lanka would have to suffer as a result of being trapped in a war between the two Asian giants India and China. The involvement of India and China in projects that have a geopolitical value has increased in the recent past, and the country’s high dependence on external support, an unhealthy obsession created by successive rulers and a culture of corruption, is to blame for it.
The issue is not with Sri Lanka’s relationship with China or India. The issue is how skilled Sri Lanka is in building mutually beneficial ties with any nation without risking its position. Needless to say, once a nation’s independence and neutrality is jeopardised, it would take generations to restore it.
Domestic forces have cautioned the country’s leaders about making decisions that affect the country’s autonomy and sovereignty; however, Sri Lanka’s tendency to rejoice at short term support has blinded it from being conscious about what that short term support entails, in particular the price that Sri Lanka will eventually have to pay for it in the long term.
What decides whether another nation is a friend or a foe of a nation has a lot to do with how that nation maintains ties with other nations and how capable it is at understanding their true motives. It is hoped that Sri Lanka will not fail this crucial test.
Can SL play the geopolitical chess game?
30 Apr 2021
Can SL play the geopolitical chess game?
30 Apr 2021
Sri Lanka’s position, which is both strategically and geographically significant, has been a blessing and at times a curse, and many countries have tried to befriend and/or influence the country. However, regardless of the nature of these international relationships, as a nation that has been struggling to get back on its feet for decades, the country’s leaders have a responsibility to ensure that they make more international friends than foes.
It was due to projects such as the Hambantota Port, the two Terminals of the Colombo Port, and the Colombo Port City that Sri Lanka’s position in the global political arena received much attention in the recent past, and that attention was rarely in favour of Sri Lanka.
The Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe on 28 April held bilateral talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, where the two countries discussed China’s past and future support for Sri Lanka. However, this meeting, which in the larger context seems to be a step towards strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, caught the attention of both the local and international media, especially the Indian media.
Some Indian media outlets questioned the underlying motive of this meeting, claiming that the Chinese Defence Minister’s meeting was not only about political and economic co-operation between the two countries, but was also about military links. This allegation against the China-Sri Lanka meeting comes in a context where the Chinese Defence Minister had already held a meeting with Bangladesh this week, and with Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan last year. India feeling unsafe when a country that has challenged its power in the region is holding meetings with its immediate neighbours is understandable. What is not clear is Sri Lanka’s position in this struggle for power and geographical superiority.
There was a time when China was seen as a god-send with an undying friendliness towards Sri Lanka. However, this short-lived good feeling started to fade as it gradually became clearer to Sri Lanka that the Chinese debt mountain was big enough to suffocate the entire nation for not one, but several generations, with growing speculation that China’s relationship with Sri Lanka is mainly transactional, and that behind the unending support from China lies a certain obligation Sri Lanka would have to fulfill at some point, especially with regard to the intensifying cold war between China and India. However, Sri Lanka is yet to figure out what it seeks from these dealings with both China and India.
The true nature of and the strings attached to the assistance Sri Lanka has received from both India and China has been questioned many times, especially by domestic forces, concerning the long term repercussions Sri Lanka would have to suffer as a result of being trapped in a war between the two Asian giants India and China. The involvement of India and China in projects that have a geopolitical value has increased in the recent past, and the country’s high dependence on external support, an unhealthy obsession created by successive rulers and a culture of corruption, is to blame for it.
The issue is not with Sri Lanka’s relationship with China or India. The issue is how skilled Sri Lanka is in building mutually beneficial ties with any nation without risking its position. Needless to say, once a nation’s independence and neutrality is jeopardised, it would take generations to restore it.
Domestic forces have cautioned the country’s leaders about making decisions that affect the country’s autonomy and sovereignty; however, Sri Lanka’s tendency to rejoice at short term support has blinded it from being conscious about what that short term support entails, in particular the price that Sri Lanka will eventually have to pay for it in the long term.
What decides whether another nation is a friend or a foe of a nation has a lot to do with how that nation maintains ties with other nations and how capable it is at understanding their true motives. It is hoped that Sri Lanka will not fail this crucial test.
Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!