In what is being seen as a bid to balance its “traditional ties” against China’s growing regional influence, Sri Lanka has decided to allow India and Japan to develop a strategically located deep-sea container terminal at the country’s main port. What highlights “the China angle” in the new offer by the island nation is that India and Japan are the members of Quad, a group of Indo-Pacific nations that also includes the US and Australia seeking to counter Chinese influence in the region.
Importantly, Colombo’s U-turn, offering India and Japan to build and develop West Container Terminal (WCT), has come a few weeks after scrapping a deal with the two countries to develop one of the key terminals at the same port. Sri Lanka had reneged on the 2019 agreement for India and Japan to develop and operate the crucial East Container Terminal at Colombo Port. Scrapping of the agreement by Colombo “unilaterally” had not only upset New Delhi and Tokyo, but was also interpreted as Sri Lanka playing into the hands of China.
It was said that the protests by trade unions and Opposition parties leading to scrapping of agreement on ECT development were at the behest of China actually. Even MEA had expressed its concern over Colombo showing a tilt towards Beijing at the cost of diplomatic relations with India, Japan and other nations which are unhappy with the Dragon’s objectionably assertive and expansionist behaviour.
There is no denying that Colombo has had a bad experience with some of Beijing’s projects in the region where it has run into huge debts, thereby falling into the trap of the Dragon. Apart from that, Sri Lanka has earned the wrath of the US for allowing Chinese foothold at Hambantota. Washington has been expressing concerns “that it could give Beijing a military advantage in the Indian Ocean”.
The MEA is yet to come up with a definite reaction on the new offer. However, it is learnt that Indian High Commission in Colombo has approved it.