‘Won’t Allow Our Land…’: Sri Lanka Assures India Amid China’s Hambantota Port Ops – News18
Last Updated:
Colombo’s commitment towards defence cooperation with India came after President Dissanayake held a key discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi with Sri Lanka’s President Disanayaka | Image/PMO
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, during his maiden overseas visit to India, assured New Delhi that Sri Lanka would not allow its territory to be used in any manner that threatens India’s security interests.
Colombo’s commitment towards defence cooperation with India came after President Dissanayake held a key discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The assurance stands significant given China’s aggressive push for ‘Mission Indian Ocean,’ which directly poses a security threat to India.
China, having taken control of Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port after Colombo defaulted on Chinese loans, has been deploying its naval surveillance and spy ships there.
Over the past two years, Beijing has repeatedly stationed the 25,000-tonne satellite and ballistic missile tracking vessel, Yuan Wang 5, at Hambantota—raising concerns for New Delhi given Sri Lanka’s strategic proximity to India.
“It is a privilege to visit India on my first overseas trip as President and I am grateful to PM @narendramodi for supporting Sri Lanka during the economic crisis and for aiding debt restructuring. We discussed trade, defence, energy, BRICS, UNCLCS, and stopping illegal fishing during our meeting today. I invited PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka and assured India that Sri Lanka’s territory would not be used against India’s security interests,” Dissanayake said in an X post.
In August 2022, following concerns raised by New Delhi, Sri Lanka initially urged Beijing to postpone the arrival of its ship and refrain from such activities. However, Colombo eventually allowed the Chinese vessel to dock for “replenishment.” Since then, Chinese surveillance and spy ships have frequently patrolled the Indian Ocean and regularly docked at Hambantota Port, according to a report by NDTV.
The Yuan Wang 5, part of the line of Chinese tracking ships, comes with a robust tracking, sensing and communication relay system and is capable of detecting foreign satellites, aerial assets and missile systems.
China acquired control of Hambantota Port on a 99-year lease after Sri Lanka failed to repay $100 million annually on the $1.7 billion loan it borrowed for the port’s construction, with the first phase completed in 2010.
Discover more from Divya Bharat 🇮🇳
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
