Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit five Indian Ocean coastal countries in the first week of the new year. These include the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
This visit to China is being seen as a sign of its increased security and economic participation in these countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Wang Yi would begin a five-nation tour from January 4. Wang will first travel to Eritrea and Kenya in East Africa and then to Comoros. The Chinese Foreign Minister will end his tour with the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
The English newspaper The Hindu has given a prominent place to this news. Regarding Wang Yi's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Chao Lijian said on Thursday, "The foreign minister's three-nation tour of Africa is part of the 32-year-old tradition under which foreign tours from Africa begin in the new year." Is. The visit to the Maldives is taking place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with China and the 65th anniversary of our diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka. Apart from this, it is also the 70th anniversary of the rubber-rice agreement with Srilanka.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said, "Both Maldives and Sri Lanka are traditionally neighboring friendly countries. China has an important partnership with both the countries and our interests are also the same. We also have similar views on international issues.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said, "We have had partnerships with Sri Lanka and the Maldives for decades. We have mutual trust. We want to increase cooperation regarding Covid-19. Along with this, we also want to expedite the work on Belt and Road. Our cooperation on international issues will also expand.
Official sources in Colombo told The Hindu that China's projects and investments are the main topics in the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister. There are some differences between the two countries regarding these, which will be tried to end.
According to sources, some MoUs related to the maritime sector can be signed between the two countries. At the same time, an official of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China has called it a courtesy visit from the newspaper.
During the pandemic, China provided emergency loans to Sri Lanka. The total debt was $1 billion and there was a currency swap of $1.5 billion. Along with this, the vaccine of Sinoform was also sent. From the beginning of the epidemic, China had maintained high-level contact with Sri Lanka.
In October 2020, a high-level delegation led by the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo and top Chinese foreign policy official Yang Jiechi went to Colombo. Apart from this, in April this year, Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fengche visited Sri Lanka.
The growing cooperation between Sri Lanka and China is a matter of concern for India. In February this year, Sri Lanka gave a green signal to the Chinese power project in three islands of Jaffna. These three islands are not far from the coast of Tamil Nadu.
However, Sri Lanka suspended it following India's concerns and India offered an alternative. After this, the ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo recently visited Jaffna. The tour was criticized in Tamil Nadu. Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was passed in May. It also has a $1.4 billion China-backed Colombo Port City project. Critics of the government in Sri Lanka said the Chinese project was a threat to Sri Lanka's sovereignty.
The most recent controversy pertains to fertilizers in which Sri Lanka returned organic fertilizers imported from China. Sri Lanka had said that there is adulteration in it. In response, China blacklisted the state-run bank of Sri Lanka and the Chinese company demanded $8 million to compensate for the loss. Along with this, the Chinese company had also filed a case in the Singapore Court regarding this. Sri Lanka had said that it was a trade-related dispute and diplomatic relations would not be affected by it.
At the same time, Wang Yi's visit to the Maldives is happening when the 'India Out' campaign is going on in full swing under the leadership of former President Abdulla Yameen. Yameen is considered a pro-China leader. The present government of Maldives is accused of allowing Indian soldiers to stay inside the Maldives. However, the government of Mohamed Solih has been denying these allegations.
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