By Ali Hassan

Sri Lanka has widely caught the eyes on two pieces of news related to China in recent days. On august 2022 earlier for the sake of one china policy this month, according to which Taiwan is being reconsidered under Chinese government and hence U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’ paid a sneaky visit to China’s Taiwan region, upon which Chinese side responded with firm countermeasures immediately. Over 170 countries around the world have all expressed their firm support for the One-China Principle and strong objection against the US provocation.

Later in the middle of August 2022, the Chinese scientific research vessel YUAN WANG 5 (IMO: 9413054) which is a Research/Survey Vessel that was built in 2007 (15 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of China, docked at the Hambantota Port for replenishment after receiving the latest approval from the Sri Lankan government on 16 August 2022. However, Chinese ship Yuan Wang 5 departed from Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port on August 22, due to the controversy over its docking continues to roil the waters around the Indian Ocean Island. India being regional actor in Indian Ocean critically opposed the docking of Yuan Wang 5 upon which Chinese and Indian diplomats in Colombo engaged in a war of words over the vessel’s controversial visit to Sri Lanka. Moreover, India started pressurizing Sri Lanka over allowing docking the Chinese vessel without bringing in the knowledge of Indian authorities and further claimed that the intelligence department of India revealed the presence of Chinese Yuan Wang 5 in Indian Ocean. Furthermore India claimed it as an illegal activity and compromising maritime security. In the reaction to the counterpart’s objection  Sri Lanka's envoy Milinda Moragoda stated that the decision to allow the docking of the Chinese ship 'Yuan Wang 5' was taken at the level of 'officials' in the chaotic time when former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was leaving the country and hence on 22 August 2022 it departed from Sri Lankan’s waters. Moreover, foreign security analysts quoted by Reuters described the Yuan Wang 5 as one of China's latest generation space-tracking ships, used to monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches. Whereas India's concerns came amidst Beijing's increasing influence in Sri Lanka which is currently in a severe economic crisis. Initially China and Sri Lanka having altogether resisted the rude and unreasonable interference from third parties but on returning Chinese ship 'Yuan Wang 5' on 22 August 2022, the Chinese adopted a tough stance at the meetings in Beijing and Colombo. They reportedly warned their Sri Lankan counterparts that calling off the ship visit would impact their decisions on the restructuring of Sri Lankan loans whereas Sri Lanka owes China an estimated $1.5 to $2 billion in debt repayment in 2022 and ongoing bilateral talks relating to a $4 billion aid package and a free trade agreement. However, Beijing has loaned billions of dollars to the country as part of its Belt and Road Initiative to build infrastructure in Asia. However, not all of the funding has worked in Sri Lanka's favor. Despite this all, Unlike China which has provided Sri Lanka with little help to deal with the economic crisis, India has extended the island loans, lines of credit and humanitarian assistance worth $3.8 billion since early this year. This has helped New Delhi regain influence in Sri Lanka, mainly in the form of public goodwill. Furthermore, The Indian High Commission in Colombo clapped back immediately. It criticized Qi for “violation of basic diplomatic etiquette.” It blamed China’s “opaqueness and debt driven agendas” for Sri Lanka’s current economic crisis and went on to point out that Sri Lanka needs support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda,” a dig at China’s reluctance to help Sri Lanka come out of its economic crisis. But these stances were firmly hitting Sri Lanka to remain under the influence of India and Indian policies. Furthermore, Due to India’s insistence, Sri Lanka recently entered into a trilateral agreement with India and the Maldives for Maritime Domain Awareness. As an expert opinion viewed that international tie-ups are necessary because no nation can fight the new threats alone in the vast ocean. Then there are other issues like marine pollution, maritime disasters, and search and rescue to take into notice.

No doubt Sri Lanka is currently facing economic crises at marginal level. It needs support and cooperation either financial or moral but not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda or to save the third party’s agenda. As Sri Lanka owes great importance in Indian Ocean and hence despite surrounded by crises, Sri Lanka being regional actor has a great stance for other regional entities in maritime security challenges. The need of hour is to take responsibility of helping Sri Lanka to overcome its crises; the regional actor must ensure it and should not hit the sensitivity of Sri Lanka.