Sri Lanka At Centre Of China-India Spat

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The government of India is reportedly upset with their Sri Lankan counterparts for approving the sale of a prime plot of land in Colombo – that was originally promised to the Indian High Commission – to a Chinese state-owned aviation company, said the Times of India on Monday, with the sale by Sri Lanka believed to have taken many Indian officials by surprise.


The government of India is reportedly upset with their Sri Lankan counterparts for approving the sale of a prime plot of land in Colombo – that was originally promised to the Indian High Commission – to a Chinese state-owned aviation company, said the Times of India on Monday, with the sale by Sri Lanka believed to have taken many Indian officials by surprise.

The report noted that India’s high commission had already completed all the formalities involving in purchasing the land – believed to be worth Rs 100 crore ($17.9 million) – with the Sri Lankan foreign ministry; and thus were shocked to find out that the plot was now being sold to the China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC).

Furthermore, the frustration for Indian officials compounded by the fact that CATIC has strong ties with Pakistan, including being responsible for the joint venture to manufacture JF-17 fighter aircraft – that could rival India’s own Tejas – for the Pakistan air force.

According to TOI, CATIC intends to build a five-star hotel on the plot, along the prestigious Galle Road in Colombo. India on the other hand had plans to build a cultural centre there, before,their purchase was rudely taken away from them.

And while the sale of a plot to the Chinese may seem innocuous at first, the Times of India said that “the fact that it may come at the expense of India is likely to further exacerbate India’s growing concerns over Beijing successfully expanding its base in Sri Lanka.”

[quote]“India is worried that the Chinese may acquire operational control of projects in the strategic sector like the Hambantota port and airport,” TOI claimed.[/quote]

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In the Sunday Times, a Sri Lanka-based newspaper, an op-ed piece by its political editor also expressed concern that Indo-Sri Lanka relations may hit “a new low” due to the conflict.

Diplomatic relations between the two nations had also been tense earlier this month, after India voted against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Commission.

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has however insisted that there had been no strategic drift in Sri Lanka’s position from India to China; and said that his country would continue to remain a non-aligned country between the two states.

Over the weekend, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam was summoned to India’s External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi to explain the sale.

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