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Colombo Port row: India expects Sri Lanka to be ‘mindful’ of its ties

India on Thursday said it expected Sri Lanka to be “mindful” of ties with New Delhi including in the security sphere against the backdrop of the Colombo government giving its go ahead to China backed Colombo Port City project that is billed as a big ticket investment drawing scheme that would boost the island nation’s economy.

“Regarding the Colombo Port City project, we have been closely following recent developments from our security perspective,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.

“We have also noted the concerns that have been raised in Sri Lanka regarding several aspects of the framework for the Colombo Port City. We expect Sri Lanka will remain mindful of our excellent bilateral cooperation, including for mutual security in our shared environment, which includes the maritime domain,” he said.

India’s concerns mainly stem from the fact that the Chinese project is at a distance of about 300 kilometers from India. India views China as a strategic rival and the project in India’s sphere of influence – ie within South Asia that New Delhi considers its backyard – is a matter of concern for India.

A person familiar with the matter had said soon after the Chinese project was cleared by the Sri Lankan parliament that New Delhi was of the view that the project should follow the principles of openness, transparency and financial responsibility. It should also respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, the person added.

The $ 1.4-billion Colombo Port City project is expected to play a key role in China’s ambitious ‘Maritime Silk Road’ project in India’s backyard. It is also said to be the single largest private sector development in Sri Lanka. China has built the port city on reclaimed sea, adjoining the Port of Colombo.

The Port City bill aims to provide for a special economic zone to establish a commission to grant registrations, licenses, authorisations and other approvals to operate business in such economic zones. On the importance of the bill, the Sri Lankan government in May said the port city would attract foreign direct investment, giving the much-needed impetus to the economy. Sri Lanka’s Minister for Capital Markets Ajith Cabraal projected that the initial construction of the port city would bring in investment of $ 15 billion, creating over 200,000 jobs. Sri Lanka, in recent years, has carried out various development projects with an estimated $ 8-billion in loans.

India views China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Maritime Silk Route as ventures of Beijing to boost its own influence in the world and saddle countries, taking China’s loans for the projects within the initiatives, with debt. New Delhi has also objected to the environmental costs of the projects.
Source: Mint

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