Sri Lanka has rejected the request for China to set up a
submarine in Colombo. India had strongly protested in 2014 about allowing the
Chinese submarine to be built.
A senior defense official said that he (Chinese) had sought
permission to build a submarine on May 14 and May 15. We have refused. Official
sources said that such requests will be turned down in future also.
This move to deny Sri Lanka's side has been lifted when Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is on a tour of Sri Lanka. Here he will be attending the
Baisakh Day festival on Friday.
Importantly, China has invested a lot in the recent years to
build airports, roads, railways and harbors in Sri Lanka. The purpose behind
this move of China is to create an economic instability for India, which has
traditionally been a financial partner of Sri Lanka. India has been informing
Sri Lanka about its concerns about the growing Chinese influence in this
neighboring country.
The point here is that the movement of 70 percent of ships in
Colombo is from India. At the same time, the Sri Lankan deficit is going to
take a final decision on the plan to lease its Hambanota harbor to China for 99
years, although the deal is delayed due to opposition from trade unions.
----Sonal