PM Modi’s snub to Sri Lankan FM made Rajapaksas drive China out of Sri Lanka’s energy venture

Sri Lanka is a big ‘baingan’ in a large ‘thali’. Its international coverage is within the doldrums, and it mainly includes switching sides from China to India seasonally. Foreign coverage has grow to be a sport for Sri Lanka. One yr, it chooses China over India, treats New Delhi like a rival and even cancels initiatives which it dedicated to alongside India. The subsequent yr, Sri Lanka does what may be known as a backflip, and begins cosying as much as India. This behaviour has been occurring for a very long time now. However, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the helm of affairs in New Delhi, issues have modified.In an fascinating improvement, a Chinese venture to arrange hybrid power vegetation in three islands of Sri Lanka has been suspended. Making the announcement, the Chinese embassy mentioned, “Sino Soar Hybrid Technology, being suspended to build Hybrid Energy system in 3 northern islands Flag of Sri Lanka due to ‘security concern’ from a third party”.  Chinese agency Sino Soar Hybrid Technology was awarded the contract to give you a hybrid renewable power system in Nagadeepa, Delft and Analthivu islands off the coast of Jaffna in January.Suspension of Project Comes After PM Modi’s Snub to Sri LankaThe ‘security concern’ which the Chinese embassy made a reference to whereas saying the suspension of the venture in Sri Lanka has every thing to do with India, as New Delhi has been elevating considerations over the situation of the venture attributable to it being very near Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, China made the announcement of the venture being grounded, though Beijing has by no means up to now cared about India’s considerations with its initiatives in Sri Lanka or the bigger Indian Ocean Region.What this implies is that Sri Lanka was the one to have pulled out from the venture. And this comes within the backdrop of Colombo receiving a fairly humiliating snub from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Tuesday, Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa arrived in New Delhi and was scheduled to satisfy Prime Minister Modi and senior ministers to hunt financial help for his nation.The financial disaster has deepened in Sri Lanka of late. The nation owes greater than $6 billion to China and has been anticipating India to lend it a serving to hand. The worth of the Sri Lankan rupee has gone as excessive as 200 in opposition to 1 USD. By subsequent yr, Sri Lanka can also be anticipating a meals disaster. Therefore, it wants pressing, non-exploitative financial assist. But right here’s the factor. China is not going to assist Colombo with out collateral. China is as much as no charity. It will additional coerce Sri Lanka by extending monetary support to the nation at this hour, and Colombo is conscious of the prices of Chinese assist.Therefore, it has turned to India. Since final yr, the Sri Lankan authorities has made a minimum of one request for a $1.1 billion foreign money swap. Sri Lanka has additionally been requesting India for a debt freeze, however India has not responded to both request. So, the first goal of Basil Rajapaksa’s go to to New Delhi was to make sure India extends a serving to hand to Sri Lanka, and that is additionally why he was scheduled to satisfy PM Modi.However, Rajapaksa was denied an viewers with PM Modi, owing to what’s being known as ‘scheduling issues’. Instead, the Modi authorities organized a gathering between India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Minister Basil, sending Sri Lanka a loud and clear message about India’s apprehensions vis-à-vis Sri Lanka’s harmful tilt in the direction of China. Doval is believed to have raised alarms attributable to Sri Lanka’s reckless international coverage. Basil additionally met his Indian counterpart, Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar throughout his two-day go to.Read extra: India’s snub to crisis-ridden Sri Lanka is a robust message to Chinese poodles throughout Indian Ocean RegionSri Lanka was Taught a LessonSri Lanka has been given a powerful message by India. It ought to both decouple from China or abandon all goals of getting good ties with India. Sri Lanka tapped a Chinese agency for a port venture in Colombo after scrapping a deal for the port with India and Japan earlier this yr. Sri Lanka had signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan and India in May 2019, below earlier President Maithripala Sirisena, to collectively develop the Colombo terminal.PM Modi, by not assembly Basil Rajapaksa, has made it clear that such rogue behaviour of Sri Lanka, and Colombo’s brazen prostration earlier than China will not be tolerated. Therefore, to ease ties with India, Sri Lanka appears to have pulled the plug on the hybrid energy venture. For its personal profit, Sri Lanka might be suggested to proceed with this technique if it needs to boost ties with India.