-> T.S. Venkatesan
The visit of Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong on 17th December to strategically important Ram Sethu (Adams bridge) in the Indian territory raised many eyebrows in political as well security circles. It is well known fact that China is Bharath’s open enemy which has been making incursions in the border and causing sleepness nights to defense forces and strategists.
What made the boil the blood of bharathiyas was the visit of Chinese officials to Ram Sethu, which is believed to be built by Ram’s soldiers namely the Vanaras ( monkeys). It is s located between the islands of Mannar near Rameshwaram in north-western Sri Lanka and off the southern coast of India.Adams Bridgeis located about 17 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. During the UPA reigme, there were attempts to demolish to make way for sethu samudram projects. The SC directed to consider alternative routes.
The Chinese ambassador, on a two-day goodwill visit to the Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority northern province, was escorted to Adams Bridge amid the security of members of the Sri Lankan Navy and Army.The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has also shared photos (China in Sri Lanka). In one photo, Zhenhong can be seen with a basket outside a Hindu temple. It is the pictureof the historic Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna. In another picture, he is seen distributing prasad to the locals. Hindu tradition has been mentioned in the Twitter post.
The visit, according security agencies, is the more than the meet of eye. They suspect there could be some hidden agenda behind his visit. Retd Major Madan Kumar says in a video conversation “ China wants to strengthen its roots in Sri Lanka on the pretext of construction and investment projects. It was a ploy. He said Chinese has ‘been targeting harbours in Srilanka’s southern side particularly Colombo, Ammanthottai and created their bases during the last 15 years. Now after the Mahinda Rajapaksa party returned to power with roller coastermajority, things are moving in faster speed. But the north and east areas of Lanka was not accessible to them due to the presence of LTTE. Now they were no longer in the picture. Forest cover and Hilly terrains in that are strategically important , if viewed in defense perspective. Also to take away the natural resources if seen in economic angle. Return for investments are also important. It is called in GTA in military parlance. After covering south and the activities stated above , China want to make a big check on India. The first starting pointing is the visit”This is the first visit by a Chinese ambassador to the northern Jaffna peninsula in recent days.
The Chinese Ambassador team also said to have visited Kaccha Theeva spread in 54 hectres , a contentious hot point between India and Sri lanka. During the Indira Gandhi regime, Kaccha Theeva was given to Sri Lanka. ”
He said as per well laid norms, no visiting foreign embassy officials were taken on tour to border and strategically important areas. Here it was flouted. Sri Lanka is very near to Tamil nadu ( three hours travel) He could not visit the border areas without permission of the Rajapakse. Kaccha Theeva was important and tactical Island for us. Everyone knows China is enemy nation for Bharat. SoChinese nationals visited with the permission of government in the Island nation. Sri Lankan government on one side hosting to China with Red carpet welcome and another side keeping Bharat in good stead. It is a balancing act without antagonizing the both to keep its economy blooms and political survival. It has been making counter balance acts like walking on a sharp edged sword”
Madan Kumar said “their visits, videos and views expressed there are a clear signal to Bharat that we are near to your feet and anytime pull off the carpet. it has been happening in full consent and knowledge of Rajapakse government. China without venture out anything without reasons. It it’s the doctrine of Communist of Party of China. Communist are agnostics and not believing in gods. Then why did they visit wearing a dhoti and bare chested like a Tamilian? It is a well-defined strategy to learn and follow the culture or language better than the natives and become mutated after linking it with some historical emotional events. He was advised to do so by top officials in Beijing. If it is a church, he would followed their custom. It is too pool the people that they are following their traditions to a place in their hearts. Lankan fishermen made complaints against their Indian counterparts. But in reality our fishermen were being harassed by Sri Lankan navy. If you observe his speeches, he did not utter word against India. But said ready to mediate in the issue involving fishermen of both countries. He is trying to touch the disgruntled fishermen’s chords by following their local customs and tradition in visiting temples and assuring to resolve their protracted issue ”.
He pointed out when the whole word was in the grip of Covid pandemic, China came out of this in April this year ( from December). As part of debt diplomacy, it has given funds to countries like Sri Lanka whose sole income is from tourists. With the Pandemic and travel restrictions, Sri Lanka is yet to recover from the shock. It is like usury lending. Target the weak persons, lend money at exorbitant rates, and force him to follow the music you play. Here China is giving such fund crunchy nations in return for some assets. Many nations have fallen to this trap.
In the wake of massive investments, it is believed that China is once again trying to come closer to Sri Lanka. China has already stopped the work of hybrid energy project in Sri Lanka after opposition from India. These hybrid systems were to be built on 3 northern islands, which are very close to India. In January, India lodged a protest with Sri Lanka for awarding the contract to a Chinese company to build a solar power plant. Sri Lanka has recently entrusted the construction of East Container Depot at Colombo Port to a Chinese company. While Sri Lanka had earlier assigned the construction of the depot to India and Japan.
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, an international security and geopolitics analyst and strategic advisor from Sri Lanka, in an article published in Observer Research Foundation in July last year says ” in the domestic political arena, discussing the importance of the Chinese built and operated southern port of Sri Lanka in Hambantota at a recent interview, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son Namal, who is contesting from his father’s previous electorate explained. The tense Indo-Pacific region provides a possible casus belli if containment of China intensifies. China is already in the Indian Ocean, which is far from their traditional ocean space. India has looked beyond Aden and Malacca choke points and has begun to make naval forays into the Pacific Ocean, rightly assessed by C. Raja Mohan in his book Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean).
Continuing his arugments, he says “ for the objective of maritime strategic expansion, it requires allies and littorals that are strategically located. Several scholars argue that Sri Lanka was mapped by Beijing’s strategic circle to facilitate the Chinese expansion in the Indian Ocean. The new developments could misconstrue as a pro-China position taken by government drifting away from Sri Lanka’s balanced foreign policy. Amidst the radical alteration of the maritime environment of Samudra Manthan by triangular powers US, India and China in the Indo-Pacific, the collective domestic developments in Sri Lanka could signal the return of Chinese influence with a much stronger footprint in the new Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime”.