President Ranil Wickremsinghe recently announced that Sri Lanka would soon review the National Security Strategy, amidst growing international rivalries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Over the past few years, the IOR has emerged as an important place on the diplomatic map. China and the US virtually get involved in a diplomatic tussle to stamp their respective authority in this region. As the distance between Russia and the Western World has increased due to the ongoing Ukraine War, Western Powers are closely monitoring Russia’s activities in the IOR. Australia, India, Japan and the US (four members of the QUAD group) have come together to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific Region, as well.

In such an atmosphere, Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe said that the island nation would take a neutral position in this diplomatic battle in the Indian Ocean. Speaking at an event organised by the Sri Lankan Navy in Galle on August 19 (2023), the President stressed that his country would focus only on its own security and development. He hinted that Colombo would slightly amend the National Security Strategy in the coming days. According to President Wickremsinghe, the security strategy needs to be reconsidered in view of the current geopolitical situation and climate conditions.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan President expressed serious concern over the tension between China and the US over the IOR. He reminded that the importance of Sri Lanka in this region is immense, although it is a tiny island nation. “Undoubtedly, the Indian Ocean hosts the world’s pivotal trade routes, making Sri Lanka an integral player at this stage. As we navigate these waters, it is imperative that we chart a course devoid of entanglement in these international rivalries, maintaining an impartial stance. Our foremost concern must be the safeguarding of our security within this sphere,” he told the audience.

Commenting on growing international rivalries, the President stated: “On one front, a contest for supremacy unfolds between the US and China across the expanses of the Pacific Ocean. Simultaneously, a power struggle emerges between the Western nations and Russia in the context of Ukraine. This competition for influence extends even to remote reaches, such as Niger in Africa.” He added that the dynamics of today’s landscape witness the encroachment of global power struggles into the Indian Ocean’s realm. Meanwhile, President Wickremsinghe revealed that Colombo recently formed a team, headed by a retired Major General, in order to determine Sri Lanka’s security strategy. The team would submit its report to the National Security Agency (of Sri Lanka). Talking about the changing landscape of the Indian Ocean, he said that the number of submarines and surveillance ships was increasing in this region.

China’s influence over Sri Lanka, currently suffering from economic and political crisis, is a well-known fact. Observers of international politics believe that Sri Lanka, like many Southeast Asian nations, has fallen into China’s debt trap. Yuan Wang 5, a Chinese spy ship, anchored at Hambantota Port on August 16, 2022, triggering a controversy. India warned Sri Lanka about the anchoring, as the spy ship was collecting nuclear and missile research-related data within 750km of its position. The Indian Ministry of Defence reportedly claimed that Beijing sent the vessel to Hambantota for monitoring various nuclear research facilities, situated in Kalpakkam and Kudankulam, in the South Asian nation.

A section of defence experts believes that China has prompted Sri Lanka to take a neutral position in the IOR. They are of the opinion that Sri Lanka is actually trying to ensure China’s monopoly in the IOR by taking an apparent neutral position. New Delhi and Colombo have come closer in recent times, as India stands by the side of an economically bankrupt Sri Lanka. It remains to be seen whether India can bring Sri Lanka into its favour in an attempt to reduce China’s influence in the IOR.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das