SRI LANKA, CHINA MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Sri Lanka, China maritime infastructure
HANSANI SAMPATH
III SEMESTER
MARITIME SECURITY

2. Sri Lanka is unique geographical location on Silk
Road

3. History
 prince Vijaya, the legendary founder of the Sinhala
race, and his followers came from across the
seas (543–505 BCE)
 Traders from distant lands, Rome, Greece, Persia,
Arabia, India, Sri Vijaya and China, followed the trade
winds to Lanka in search of its fabled spices, precious
stones and elephants
 Two millennia ago Lanka, proudly independent, was
the thriving hub of the southern Silk Route
 Buddhism came to the island from across the seas.
Later Lanka was to become the centre of the
Southern
 While trade and Buddhism clearly made Sri Lanka a
destination for traders and Buddhists of many

4. China Sri lanka maritime relation
 Before colonization (Till 1605)
 After colonization (1953 -2009 )
 After 2009

5. Till 1605
 The maritime links with China were established in the early part of
the first millennium and they have been mutually beneficial
 This period sri lanka china relations was very good
 A number of Chinese Buddhist monks visited the island
 Fa Xian and Xuanzang came to Lanka in the fifth and sixth centuries
 Fa Xian travelled back to China on a ship carrying 200 passengers
 King Parakramabahu sent a royal princess to China. he considered
a relationship sealed by marriage to the Chinese royal family an
advantage to Lanka
 Marco Polo visited Sri Lanka during one of his missions on behalf of
the Mongol emperor.
 The Chinese Admiral, Cheng He, visited Lanka, during his many epic
voyages starting in 1409, as he sailed to Africa and beyond. He also
took with him to China, a local prince, Alakeshwera.

6. 1953-2009
 Before this period dominated the world by European colonial powers,
relations between China and Sri period Lanka almost disappeared. But
they were revived soon after Sri Lanka gained its independence
 In 1953 Sri Lanka went against the international political tide when it
concluded the Rubber-Rice pact with a China constrained by sanctions.
 the links between the two countries have been consolidated further with
Premier Zhou Enlai visiting the island in 1957
 In the 70s, China studied the Colombo Export Processing Zone before
launching its spectacularly successful Shenzhen Special Economic
Zone

 Sri lanka ethnic cricis – main arms exporter
 China National Electronics Import Export Corp provided Sri Lanka at a
cost of $5 million

7. After 2009
 A twenty-five year civil war in Sri Lanka came to
a close in May 2009
This period sri lanka china relation has improved.
Reasons
1. Sri lankan government needed to assistance for
the reconciliation program
2. Idea of maritime HUB
3. China ‘s concept of string of pearls
4. China ‘s expectation for permanent membership
of SAARC
5. China’s political (hexiao kongdo ) strategy

8. Sri lankan government needed to assistance
for the reconciliation program
 Why China?
 China's initiative on the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank has attracted support from 57
key countries, including Australia, the UK,
Germany, France, Sri Lanka, etc. Singapore
maintains close ties with China while continuing
effective relations with the West.
so
it was so easy to get assistances from. China
. Mahinda Rajapakshe period
 China also provided diplomatic support for Sri
Lanka at
the UN human rights resolution.

9. Concept of Sri lanka as a maritime HUB
 The Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa had a policy
of developing Sri Lanka as a regional maritime hub
providing port facilities to the large bulk careers
plying between East Asia and the West and the
tankers carrying energy supplies from the Middle
East.
 What is the maritime hub?
A hub as defined in the Oxford dictionary is “The
center of an activity or region”. Obviously then, a
‘maritime Hub’ would then be the center or the focal
point of maritime activities.

10. Colombo Port – Container mega-hub
Hambantota Port – Free Port Service: Industrial and Multi-purpose
Galle Port – Cruise Shipping centre
Trincomalee Port – Port-related Indus-tries
Oluvil Port – Commercial and Fisheries Port
Kankasanthurai and
Point Pedro – Regional Ports
 High way road system
 Colombo port city
 Mattala Air port
 The Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), which is 85
percent owned by the state-run China Merchant Holdings
Internationa
sri lanka has developed it maritime infrastructure under the Chinese
assistance


11. Colombo Port

12. Hambanthota Port
Phase I of Hambantota Port cost an estimated US$ 361
million with 85 per cent being met by Exim Bank of China.
Phase II is priced at an estimated US$ 808 million and is a
100 per cent loan.

13. Mattala Air port

14. Sothern High way

16. Chinas concept of string of pearls
 “String of Pearls” is widely used to describe
China’s purported plan to establish naval bases
and intelligence stations throughout South Asia.
Adherents of this perspective argue Beijing has
spent the past decade trying to forge closer
diplomatic relations with many Indian Ocean
nations. China has signed multimillion dollar aid,
trade and defense deals in capitals across the
region, while Chinese state-owned corporations
have financed commercial ports in Pakistan
(Gwadar), Sri Lanka (Hambantota and Colombo),
Bangladesh (Chittagong) and Burma (Sittwe and
Kyaukpyu).

18.  Chinas (hexiao kongdo) strategy
“cooperating with small countries to counter their
competitor “

20.  China has used these fissures in the bilateral
relationship to systematically to undermine India’s
overwhelming political, strategic and commercial
influence in Sri Lanka.

21. conclusion
sri lanka has benefited in many way by China’s
strategic clout
 Many of Chinese assisted projects on maritime
endeavors provide legitimate access to Chinese
specialist personnel.
 China’s soft power is increasingly visible in all
aspects of Sri Lanka society –political, diplomatic,
and development fronts as well

22.  http://www.defseminar.lk/medicentre/pres/Dr%20Wan
g%20Weihua%20.doc.pdf
 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-
10/28/c_133749164.htm
 Amal Jayasinghe (August 4, 2013). "Sri Lanka eyes
South Asian hub with Chinese mega port". Fox News.
Retrieved 2 August 2013.
 rchive.indianexpress.com/news/china-to-train-sri-
lankan-army-to-provide-military-technology/1123290/
 http://www.ceylontoday.lk/51-68802-news-detail-
chinese-aircraft-maintenance-centre-in-trinco.html
 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sri-Lanka-
snubs-India-opens-port-to-Chinese-submarine-
again/articleshow/45008757.cms