India and Japan can unite to counter Chinese influence in Sri Lanka, say experts

"Japan has deep roots in Sri Lanka and has been carrying out pro-people projects. India and Japan are also standing by Sri Lanka for seeking support from the International Monetary Fund," said Lt Gen PR Shankar (retd), an Indian Army veteran who had last served as Director General Artillery. He emphasised that India and Japan could come together to counter the Chinese influence in Sri Lanka. He was speaking at an event organised by the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S).

On India's twin interest in Sri Lanka, he said that it was about stability in a civilisational neighbour and marginalising Chinese influence in the region. In this regard, he pointed out the presence of Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman in Washington DC, during Sri Lanka's IMF negotiations and India's generous aid that continues to flow towards the island nation.

"Japan and Sri Lanka have had a cordial relationship since 1952 and the former is a major creditor of the island nation. Japan provides grants, loan assistance, technical cooperation, support through UN agencies, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Japanese and International NGOs. Japan has always had a multipronged pronged line of action which includes promoting high-quality inclusive growth, development cooperation for inclusive growth, mitigating vulnerability and tsunami relief," Lt Gen Shankar (retd) said.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

However, he cautions that India must not once again be seen as interfering in Lankan internal affairs, as was the case during the IPKF, LTTE period. He points out that this led to India's marginalisation and created space for China's foray into the island nation. He opines, that India’s opportunity lies in China’s economic slowdown, internal problems, and its preoccupation with Taiwan and USA.

Regarding other nations that have an influence over Sri Lanka, he said that USA and Pakistan have not been major creditors but have a role to play. "USA's nod will be necessary for the IMF bailout to come through and given the strategic convergence with India, the US will not lose this opportunity to strengthen the Indo-Pacific strategy. The US will attempt to counter China's influence, by working with India and Japan," he opined.

He also noted that Pakistan has always had good ties with Sri Lanka and was the main provider of arms during the LTTE period. Gen Shankar(retd) mentioned the recent docking of PNS Taimur, a Pakistani naval ship in Colombo and a Naval exercise between two countries as a good indicator of Pak-Lanka relations, despite various other detracting factors. He urged that India take precautions to ensure that Pakistani influence (at the behest of China) stays marginalised in Sri Lanka.

In light of Sri Lanka's foreign policy dilemma, Col R Hariharan(retd) a veteran Military Intelligence specialist who served the Indian Army said that the island nation is a strategic pivot in the Indo-Pacific. Elaborating on Sri Lanka's Geostrategic compulsions, he said that the country was midway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and had a favourable tropical climate.

On how Sri Lankans viewed India and China, he feels that the Lankan side would always think about India's reaction on any issue, as India is barely 29kms away (from certain points in the Southern State of Tamil Nadu), whereas China is more than 2000kms away. He pointed out that Sri Lanka is a strategic pivot whose foreign policy is guided by physical, and geographical factors and that Colombo is a good eavesdropping location.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.