Colombo International Container Terminal Photo: VCG

 

As Sri Lanka and India signed cooperation pacts in various areas during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Sri Lanka,MKsport some Indian media outlets sought to hype so-called "concerns" over China's "increasing influence" in the region. Such a narrative is outdated and misrepresented the main purpose of the visit, which focused on bilateral issues instead of "targeting China," Chinese experts said on Sunday. 

"India and Sri Lanka on Saturday signed seven key agreements in defence, energy, digital infrastructure, health and trade sectors amid concerns over China's increasing influence across the Indian Ocean region," India Today reported on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, the Hindustan Times reported that Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assured Modi that the country will not allow its territory to be used in manner inimical to India's security interests, describing the statement as "an attempt to assuage concerns about China's growing influence."

Some Indian media outlets often adopt an outdated perspective, treating South Asian countries as India's exclusive sphere of influence and frequently criticizing China's legitimate cooperation with regional countries, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

China and Sri Lanka have maintained close cooperation. In January, Dissanayake paid a state visit to China, during which the two sides reached important common understandings on deepening China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership and jointly building a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future, making new strategic guidance for the development of China-Sri Lanka relations, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

The two sides also signed the Belt and Road cooperation plan and multiple documents on bilateral cooperation, including the export of agricultural products to China, people's livelihood, and news and broadcasting, among others. "China attaches high importance to its ties with Sri Lanka in the neighborhood diplomacy. China and Sri Lanka today have a historic opportunity to build on what has been achieved and take the relationship into the next chapter," Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press briefing on January 17. 

Lin Minwang, a deputy director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, said that relevant remarks from the Sri Lankan side do not reflect a major policy shift that prioritizes one country over all others; rather, it reflects a common diplomatic approach adopt by many countries - ultimately, strategic interests are best served by maintaining equilibrium.

Moreover, "the main purpose of Modi's visit to Sri Lanka was not targeted at China-related issues, because the India-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship also faces various complex issues," Lin told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that most of trip's outcomes were achieved through economic assistance.