India's deals with Sri Lanka heighten stakes in 'Great Game' with Beijing

[samv]

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India's deals with Sri Lanka heighten stakes in 'Great Game' with Beijing

Heads of states make agreements on aid, infrastructure and loans, stepping on China's toes in strategically important nation

Jason Burke in Delhi guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 June 2010 16.45 BST


Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, left, shakes hands with Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa the president's palace in New Delhi. Photograph: Harish Tyagi/EPA

India and Sri Lanka signed a series of aid, economic and diplomatic deals today, the latest move in an increasingly intense struggle between New Delhi and Beijing for influence over the island nation.

The signing took place on the first day of a visit by the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to Delhi, his first since winning his presidential election in January and parliamentary poll in April. The deals range from loans for major infrastructure projects to agreements to share electricity and boost cultural exchanges.

Dubbed "the new Great Game", the battle between China and India for primacy in the Indian Ocean is set to be one of the major themes of the coming decades, according to analysts. Sri Lanka's geographic position is its main draw.

"China wants to be the pre-eminent power in Asia and whether Asia ends up multipolar or unipolar will be determined by what happens in the Indian Ocean. Currently there is a power vacuum there and the Chinese want to fill it," said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at Delhi's Centre for Policy Research.

Among the deals signed today was a £300m loan for the construction of railways to be carried out by companies owned by India's Ministry of Railways. Most Indian assistance is focused on the northern parts of Sri Lanka, dominated by the country's ethnic Tamil minority and devastated by years of war.

Delhi also announced the opening of consulates in the Tamil-dominated city of Jaffna and, significantly, in the southern port city of Hambantota, where Chinese contractors are building a vast deep water port in a project largely financed by the Chinese government's lending arm, the Export-Import bank. Indian strategists believe the port, expected to be completed by 2020, is a key link in a chain of such projects from Burma to Pakistan, the so-called "string of pearls", which seek to extend China's maritime influence.

"China is building up naval forces and is eager to secure safe bases and anchorage in the Indian ocean. But India's position and coastline give a tremendous operational advantage," Chellaney said.

Though Sri Lankan ministers downplay the extent of Chinese influence, few observers doubt that the Indians have lost ground to their rivals in recent years.

Beijing has already embarked on a major road-building programme in areas north of the Sri Lankan commercial capital, Colombo, and is helping with the construction of a new power station. A £140m loan to build a second international airport in the south of the island, seen as crucial to boost the tourist business, has also been agreed. In March, the Sri Lankan government said China was supplying more than half of all the construction and development loans it was receiving.

Rajapaksa's visit sparked protests by politicians and groups representing India's Tamil ethnic community. Tens of millions of ethnic Tamils live in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, many of whom blame Rajapaksa for what human rights groups have claimed were high levels of civilian casualties in the final days of the civil war against the Tamil Tiger separatists last year.

Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, did raise the question of a political settlement granting Sri Lanka's Tamils more autonomy, Indian officials said, though Rajapaksa has previously made clear he is unlikely to favour such a measure.

"India is caught in a strategic quandary regarding Sri Lanka," said Iskander Rehman at Delhi's Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis. "Its sizeable Tamil population means that it feels a natural sense of solidarity with the Tamil civilian population but it knows that if it criticises the government too harshly it may risk losing even more strategic space to the Chinese."

Singh was also described as "reassured" after speaking to the Sri Lankan premier about Colombo's efforts to rapidly resettle the tens of thousands of Tamils displaced by fighting who continue to live in refugee camps.

India's deals with Sri Lanka heighten stakes in 'Great Game' with Beijing | World news | The Guardian

[johnny boy]

india needs the land of ravana now!!!!!!!!!!!

[Creder]

Man the lankans must be having a ball with all this courting from india and china

[gubbi]

Man the lankans must be having a ball with all this courting from india and china

Exactly!. I wonder what the short term and long term benefits are to India.

This power struggle between India and China is one of the reasons why the Military Junta is still in power in Myanmar, still oppressing its own people.

[prototype]

yes it actually lanka who is throwing the bait for dog war

[samv]

India could have easily avoided the influence of China if it supported Sri Lanka militarily during the war. But it did not. India was quite happy having the LTTE in Sri Lanka destabilising the island while it made hay. I think India underestimated the Sri Lankan president's resolve to defeat the LTTE which was armed, trained and funded by India.

India was also happy regarding Sri Lanka as a vassal state. With the entry of China it has sat up and taken notice of its smaller neighbours like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka instead of taking them for granted. China's influence has been of great benefit to India's neighbours.

[Rocketsingh]

ltte trained,armed by india,hmmmmmmmmm

[samv]

ltte trained,armed by india,hmmmmmmmmm

Yes that's right.

And it resulted in Rajiv Gandhi getting blown into a million pieces in a typical "bit the hand that fed it" scenario.

[genetic_nomad]

agreed, a healthy competition between india and china will be good for all the involved parties.
congrats and hats off to lankans for balancing their relations with India/China

[samv]

The new Great Game in Asia

Bangladesh: A recent thaw in relations and a trade deal has brought Dhaka closer to Delhi. But Beijing recently proposed a port and roads linking the coast to China via Burma, costing $9bn.

Burma: China is building roads and an oil and gas pipeline from within China to the port they are constructing on the Bay of Bengal.

Pakistan: China is involved in a range of multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects, from widening the Karakoram Highway over the Himalayas to building a huge port at Gwadar on the southern coast. Chinese engineers also run many crucial irrigation works.

Nepal: A recent Chinese offer to help Nepal upgrade roads and border posts along their mutual frontier has rattled Delhi. So have increasing economic ties with Beijing.

Afghanistan: India has been funding hospitals, roads and even building the new parliament building, all in a bid to buy influence and, Delhi hopes, a degree of popularity, to the tune of $1.4bn. Chinese businesses have flooded Afghanistan with cheap goods. A Chinese company has bought the rights to exploit the enormous copper deposits at Aynak, in Logar province, for $3bn.

India's deals with Sri Lanka heighten stakes in 'Great Game' with Beijing | World news | The Guardian

[ramu]

India could have easily avoided the influence of China if it supported Sri Lanka militarily during the war. But it did not. India was quite happy having the LTTE in Sri Lanka destabilising the island while it made hay. I think India underestimated the Sri Lankan president's resolve to defeat the LTTE which was armed, trained and funded by India.

India was also happy regarding Sri Lanka as a vassal state. With the entry of China it has sat up and taken notice of its smaller neighbours like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka instead of taking them for granted. China's influence has been of great benefit to India's neighbours.

Not sure if China's influence can match Indian influence in Sri lanka. The cultural and diplomatic ties between SL and India is centuries old. China's influence in SL thought significant will not be able to match Indian influence. The reason is the location of Sri Lanka so close to the Indian peninsula.

India has always supported Sri Lanka in the war. Open your eyes are read the statements made by your top leaders.

[samv]

yes it actually lanka who is throwing the bait for dog war

You shouldn't be upset that Sri Lanka is making use of "the great game" for its benefit. Sri Lanka is emerging from a war and needs all the development it can get - whether aid comes from China or India it is beneficial for the country and its people. I think SL has done pretty well balancing the relationship between India and China. How this will progress in the future remains to be seen. From what is seen in the SL prez's visit to India the relationship between India and Sri Lanka is pretty close. Likely the closest and most cordial inter-state relationship in South Asia.

You need to know how things work here. Usually Sri Lanka comes to India FIRST. It is only when India rejects it does Sri Lanka go elsewhere. Case in point: Hambantota. It was offered to India first. India said no, so Sri Lanka approached China and China said yes. If India had said yes it would have saved itself all this angst over the Chinese built port. Arms for the war - Sri Lanka wanted to purchase them from India first, but India said no, so Sri Lanka turned to Pakistan and China who said yes.

[genetic_nomad]

You shouldn't be upset that Sri Lanka is making use of "the great game" for its benefit. Sri Lanka is emerging from a war and needs all the development it can get - whether aid comes from China or India it is beneficial for the country and its people. I think SL has done pretty well balancing the relationship between India and China. How this will progress in the future remains to be seen. From what is seen in the SL prez's visit to India the relationship between India and Sri Lanka is pretty close. Likely the closest and most cordial inter-state relationship in South Asia.

You need to know how things work here. Usually Sri Lanka comes to India FIRST. It is only when India rejects it does Sri Lanka go elsewhere. Case in point: Hambantota. It was offered to India first. India said no, so Sri Lanka approached China and China said yes. If India had said yes it would have saved itself all this angst over the Chinese built port.

I fully agree with you mate. I know some people may disagree but I personally feel that chinese influence will actually benefit India as well since it will force our lazy politicians to stand up and take notice.

[Rocketsingh]

You shouldn't be upset that Sri Lanka is making use of "the great game" for its benefit. Sri Lanka is emerging from a war and needs all the development it can get - whether aid comes from China or India it is beneficial for the country and its people. I think SL has done pretty well balancing the relationship between India and China. How this will progress in the future remains to be seen. From what is seen in the SL prez's visit to India the relationship between India and Sri Lanka is pretty close. Likely the closest and most cordial inter-state relationship in South Asia.

You need to know how things work here. Usually Sri Lanka comes to India FIRST. It is only when India rejects it does Sri Lanka go elsewhere. Case in point: Hambantota. It was offered to India first. India said no, so Sri Lanka approached China and China said yes. If India had said yes it would have saved itself all this angst over the Chinese built port. Arms for the war - Sri Lanka wanted to purchase them from India first, but India said no, so Sri Lanka turned to Pakistan and China who said yes.

galti ho gayi yaar,forgive us and give us the chance

[samv]

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Not sure if China's influence can match Indian influence in Sri lanka. The cultural and diplomatic ties between SL and India is centuries old. China's influence in SL thought significant will not be able to match Indian influence. The reason is the location of Sri Lanka so close to the Indian peninsula.

Agree. But the thing is, the Chinese are so much more proactive than India. India is fixated on the "Tamil issue" when the vast majority of Sri Lankans are not Tamil. So India spends its time harping on the "Tamil issue" without paying attention to building its relationship with the rest of Sri Lanka. It hardly uses its cultural ties (which no other country can match) for furthering the relationship. I think this may have to do with a general attitude that is along the lines of "India is the centre of South Asia and everyone around us automatically owes their allegiance to us." China does not seem to have that attitude, at least with South Asian countries. That is why it is winning friends while India seems to struggle.

India has always supported Sri Lanka in the war. Open your eyes are read the statements made by your top leaders.

I think the "top leaders" are just buttering up the Indians. India could have ended this war A LONG TIME AGO if it wanted to. The truth is India was quite happy having the war rumble along in Sri Lanka without spilling over into India. It would have served India in two ways: (1) leverage over Sri Lanka ie "we will support the LTTE if you annoy us" and (2) keep Sri Lanka undeveloped and economically weak.

When it saw that the LTTE was going to get wiped out, India wanted in on the bandwagon and supplied military intelligence.

As you can see without the LTTE, Sri Lanka is more confident and India has less of a chance of being bossy.