China clears air; Praises India for helping Sri Lanka

China has praised India for helping Sri Lanka at a time of crisis in what appeared to be a move to deflect growing theories that China is peeved that Sri Lanka is moving away from China's orbit and closer to the pro-West axis spearheaded by India in this part of the world.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian this week told the media in Beijing that China had commended India for its efforts to mitigate the crisis in Sri Lanka.

He said China was ready to work with India and the rest of the international community to help Sri Lanka and other countries pull through the debt crisis they faced, referring to several other countries facing issues in paying back loans taken following the COVID19 and global recession. The West was blaming China for giving several countries loans for development projects--loans which those recipient countries now found difficult to pay back.

Cynics say China may be peeved it had been out manoeuvered in Sri Lanka by India in the geopolitical games played out in the Indian Ocean region and therefore opted to show it was in it together with India to help Sri

Lanka, and not competing. Others say that perhaps it was an uncharitable assessment of China's genuine desire to help an old friend in Sri Lanka.

A US$ 1.5 billion Chinese credit line and another US$ one billion loan from China to Sri Lanka remain in the pipeline.

In a separate development, India was running into issues with the West over doing business with Russia, and analysts believed it was veering back to the 'middle path' as a result. Its Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar last week referred to the duplicity of the West in buying Russian gas but objecting to India buying Russian fuel. On June 3 he asked the West to keep out of IndoChina relations.

"We have a difficult relationship with China. We are perfectly capable of managing it. If I get global understanding and support, obviously, it will also help. But this idea that I do a transaction, I come in conflict one because it will help in conflict two, that is not how the world works," he said. He also said India's issues with China had nothing to do with Russia.

Minister Jaishankar's soft approach towards China may not please hardcore ruling Hindutva Baratha Janatha Party ( BJP) members who see China as a natural enemy. With a trade volume of 125 billion annually and 55 per cent of its external trade passing through the South China sea, clearly relations with China are not to be trifled with.