The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun

Sri Lanka port welcomes China survey ship, rankling India, U.S.

- By Tomomi Asano and Seima Oki

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka/BEIJING — As China’s all-white Yuan Wang 5 research vessel slowly pulled into a dock at the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota on Tuesday morning, it was greeted by a group of Chinese residents holding a large banner that hailed the friendship between Beijing and Colombo. Sri Lankan lawmakers also were in attendance as the captain and other crew members were welcomed with a traditiona­l dance a er disembarki­ng from the vessel.

e Chinese ship’s arrival, reportedly for refueling and resupply through Aug. 22, was not warmly received everywhere, however. At a time when there are mounting concerns Beijing might use the port for military purposes as it seeks to expand its in uence in the Indo-Paci c region, this port call has gotten on the nerves of regional power India and China’s rival the United States.

e port opened in 2010 in the home district of then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who favored China, and was developed as a crucial part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative mega-economic zone. e total project cost of about $1.5 billion (about ¥200 billion) was funded mostly through Chinese loans, which reportedly came with interest rates of more than 6%.

In 2017, the Sri Lankan government was drowning in debt and decided to sell a majority stake in the new company that operated and was in charge of security at the port to Chinese state-owned enterprise­s on a 99-year lease. China had e ectively acquired the right to operate Hambantota port.

In recent years, China has provided huge loans to developing nations for infrastruc­ture constructi­on and other projects. is has pushed many of these nations into socalled debt traps in which the borrower falls behind in repaying these loans, amid high interest rates, and hands China the right to operate the infrastruc­ture or some other bene t. Hambantota port is said to be a classic example of this.

e Chinese company that now runs the port stated that foreign ships “require government approval” to enter and explained that authority over port calls rests with Sri Lanka.

In an exclusive interview with e Yomiuri Shimbun, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesi­nghe insisted that China would not be allowed to use the port for military purposes. However, he did not deny the possibilit­y that Chinese military vessels might enter the port to refuel.

Sri Lanka has downplayed mounting U.S. and Indian concerns about China’s activities. It is true, though, that Sri Lanka does not want to harm its relationsh­ip with China, which is Colombo’s largest creditor nation.

FOOTHOLDS IN INDIAN OCEAN

As the United States and India bolster cooperatio­n through initiative­s such as the Quad, which also includes Japan and Australia, China is aiming to boost its presence in the Indian Ocean.

Beijing is paying increasing­ly close attention to this ocean because these waters are essential for what it views as a new domain from a military perspectiv­e: space developmen­t. China’s military is heavily involved in this domain. e Yuan Wang 5, which belongs to an organizati­on under the military umbrella, can monitor launched rockets and satellites to record, detect and change their trajectory. e vessel also is involved in China’s BeiDou, which like other positionin­g systems was originally developed for military purposes. According to Chinese media, the Yuan Wang 5 even controlled a Chinese space station lab module launched in late July.

China relies on imports for more than 70% of its crude oil and at least 60% of these imports traverse Indian Ocean sealanes. At a time when the United States and India are enhancing their cooperatio­n, China is increasing­ly recognizin­g that protecting these sea-lanes is an important issue. Sri Lanka sits at a vital location in the Indian Ocean where Asia, the Middle East and Europe connect. Hambantota port could become a strategic asset for China because vessels there can quickly sail to the seas o both the east and west coasts of India.

e developmen­t of port facilities in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the expansion of a naval base in Ream, Cambodia, have all been assisted by China. is has given Beijing a string of footholds across the Indian Ocean. ere is strong speculatio­n that China’s military base in Djibouti was constructe­d with the objective of extending the reach of its warships.

A diplomatic source in Beijing warned that the Yuan Wang 5’s arrival in Hambantota port was a prelude of things to come.

“Other ships will be allowed to dock there. ere’s no doubt China is trying to make its use of this port an establishe­d fact,” the source told e Yomiuri Shimbun. “It’s even possible destroyers and other such vessels will dock there in the future.”

NEW DELHI FUMES OVER ‘SPY SHIP’

India has bristled at the Yuan Wang 5’s arrival at Hambantota port. New Delhi conveyed its concerns over the ship’s docking to Colombo, and Indian media have described the research vessel as a “spy ship.” Recent media coverage has constantly been critical of the port call.

New Delhi is alarmed that the Chinese vessel could monitor its military activities. In 2012, India conducted the first successful test-launch of the Agni-V long-range ballistic missile from a facility in the eastern state of Odisha. With a range of about 5,000 kilometers, this was the first Indian missile capable of reaching every part of China. The Yuan Wang 5 is reportedly equipped with satellite surveillan­ce radar that could also monitor ballistic missiles.

“If Chinese military vessels frequently dock at the port, China would be able to observe the movements of all our ships and our nuclear-related facilities,” a senior Indian Defense Ministry o cial said to

e Yomiuri Shimbun.

India and China have in recent years entered into serious con icts. Military tensions have ared at times, including in June 2020, when both militaries clashed over the unde ned border that runs through the Kashmir region. Unease about China has spurred India to augment its military, and New Delhi will soon commission its rst domestical­ly made aircra carrier.

e Yuan Wang 5’s arrival at Hambantota port also has vexed the United States, which considers the Indo-Paci c region to be of the utmost importance. According to e Washington Post, U.S. and Indian o cials worked together behind the scenes to pressure the Sri Lanka government to revoke access to the port, but to no avail. (Aug. 18)

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