Dispelling concerns from India over China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean, China will need to let the Colombo Port City Project in Sri Lanka really play a role in promoting the development of the local economy.
India has long worried that the project would serve as a platform for the expansion of China's military power in the Indian Ocean, posing a threat to its national security. Because of India's strong protest, Sri Lanka said Tuesday it would be withdrawing permission for a Chinese company to buy the freehold to 20 hectares of land under the project and instead offer a 99-year lease, according to media reports.
However, regardless of India's protest, it is gratifying to see that the big picture of China-Sri Lanka cooperation has not changed. After Sri Lanka announced the resumption of the project earlier this year, both China and Sri Lanka reached an agreement over compensation due to delay of the project.
China is likely to further enhance cooperation with Sri Lanka after the compensation issue is resolved. Given Colombo's strategic location on the Indian Ocean, it is almost certain that a closer relationship between the two nations will unavoidably arouse suspicion from New Delhi.
India has great influence on Sri Lanka's political system and has long expressed concerns over China's enhanced cooperation with Sri Lanka. Tensions between China and India have been increasing, noticeably at a time when China is promoting its Belt and Road initiative and has been forming cooperative relations with countries along the route in fields such as infrastructure. An inevitable result of such efforts has been China's increased presence in some South Asian countries which have been, until now, mainly influenced by India.
Some scholars have used this as an opportunity to raise awareness to the String of Pearls theory while New Delhi has adopted a negative attitude towards China's cooperation with South Asian counties, including Sri Lanka.
What is important now is that the Colombo Port City Project can be allowed to move forward and become an engine of economic growth in Sri Lanka that will benefit the local economy. If that goal can be reached, the project itself will be the best response to India's concerns about ties between Sri Lanka and China .
China has clarified that the investment in Colombo was always based purely on commercial interests, rather than any intention of expanding its military presence in the Indian Ocean. The successful implementation of the project will make these words all the more convincing. With The Port of Colombo's key location in a network of international trade routes, this will contribute to economic development in Sri Lanka and the wider region, including India. In this regard, New Delhi may need to take the long view of its national interests.
