Lankan insensitivity unacceptable

Sri Lanka’s repeated display of utter insensitivity to Indian security concerns is not the way a friendly country conducts its foreign policy. The latest instance of such insensitivity was in the context of the planned visit of a Chinese ‘research and survey’ ship to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port. The ship was to dock at the port on August 11 and remain there till August 17. Lankan officials claimed that it was visiting for “replenishment and supplies.” Indian officials were reportedly in talks with Colombo over the past week to get the latter to cancel the Chinese ship’s visit. Sri Lanka has announced that the visit has been deferred. While this is a step in the right direction, it indicates that the story isn’t over. The ship could come by in a few weeks or months. China has piped in by describing the Indian objections as “unjustified,” “morally irresponsible”, and even, “senseless.” It has called on India to “not disturb normal exchanges” between the two countries. Meanwhile, a section of Lankan analysts has said that the island-nation is well within its rights to permit the Chinese ship to dock at its port.

The Yuan Wang 5 is a dual-use Chinese ship that is reportedly stacked with equipment for space and satellite tracking. Its radars have a reach of 750 km, which means that India’s nuclear power stations and defence installations in southern India would have come under its surveillance. The ship docking at Hambantota, therefore, represented a threat to India’s security. Consequently, Indian diplomats and military officials have been stressing to their Lankan counterparts that docking Chinese ships in Sri Lankan ports is not acceptable to India. To simply ignore these requests suggests that Indian concerns do not matter to Colombo.

In 2014, Chinese warships, including a nuclear submarine, docked at Colombo Port on two occasions despite India cautioning Sri Lanka against permitting this. The Rajapaksa government had ignored India’s appeals amid its growing embrace of China. In the years that followed, Sri Lanka walked into a Chinese debt trap and was forced to hand over Hambantota Port to China. Amid the Lankan economic crisis, few countries have come to Sri Lanka’s aid. China, which is partly to blame for the crisis, is among those who failed to show up when Colombo needed help. In contrast, India has helped Sri Lanka by extending loans worth over $3.5 billion. Unlike China, India has not been a mere fair-weather friend. And yet, Sri Lanka is unwilling to show sensitivity to Indian concerns. New Delhi must tell Colombo clearly that this is unacceptable.