India secured defense and energy deals with neighbor Sri Lanka on Saturday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, seen as a step against the growing impact of rival China in the region.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake rolled out the Red Carpet for Modi and gave the country’s highest civilian honor for the “The Deep Personal Friendship” shown to the younger neighbor.
“We believe that our security interests have been aligned,” Modi said during a television ceremony from Dissonayake’s office in the capital.
“Our security is interdependent and interconnected.”
The five-year Defense Cooperation Agreement provides training in Sri Lankan military personnel as well as information and technology sharing in India.
Dissanayake appreciated that he said “the rise of India as a world power, not only a regional power”.
He said, “I have reiterated my post to Prime Minister Modi that the Sri Lankan sector will not be allowed to be used by anyone to reduce India’s security.”
India has earlier objected to Chinese submarines and research ships, which have been called to the main port in Colombo.
Sri Lanka has not allowed Chinese submarines to do dock since 2014, when India expressed concern over two such trips.
Last year, Colombo banned foreign research ships after New Delhi allegations that Chinese ships were being used to spy on India.
On Saturday, Dissanayake welcomed Modi-The first foreign dignitaries to visit Colombbo last year with the 19-gun salute since the leftist leader came to power.
Balance the China
The two leaders also celebrated the construction of a 120-megavot solar power project developed as a joint venture between the two countries.
The solar plant in the island’s northeast Trincomli district had come to a standstill for years, but was reinstated with the support of New Delhi.
Modi’s visit tells about Colombo with competitive interests from New Delhi and Beijing.
India has become concerned about China’s influence in Sri Lanka, which it looks as falling into its own field of interest.
Dissanayake’s first foreign trip was from New Delhi in December, but underlined the Sri Lanka’s delicate balance act with a visit to Beijing in January.
China has emerged as Sri Lanka’s largest single bilateral creditor, when the island missed its sovereign debt in 2022, accounting for more than half of its $ 14 billion bilateral loan.
Beijing was also the first person to restructure his debts for Sri Lanka, a step that helped the island to pave the way for its worst economic recession.
In January, Colombo announced that it signed an agreement with a Chinese state -owned company to invest $ 3.7 billion at an oil refinery south of the island.
The deal will mark Sri Lanka’s largest single foreign investment and is considered important for economic reforms.
Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka followed a link to a summit in Thailand and meetings with leaders from neighboring countries as he sought to sideline India’s regional relations.
On the occasion of Bangkok Bimstake meeting, in a group of seven countries-Modi held a rare face-to-face meeting with Junta chief of Myanmar, Min Aung Holyl.
He interacted with Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus on Friday-The first such meeting in Dhaka converted to a long-time New Delhi colleague Sheikh Hasina and sent relations to a tailspin.
India was the largest beneficiary of Hasina’s government, and his uprooted inspired Yumns to travel to his first state in China last month.
Modi also met his Nepali counterpart in Bangkok on Friday with KP Sharma Oli – since Oli returned to power last year – as well as his first meeting after Bhutan’s Torning Tobega.
