Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson has said that a Chinese training ship is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on the eve of the presidential election. He has stated that this ship is scheduled to reach Sri Lanka between mid-August and November. Similarly, during the ‘aragalaya’ when then President Gotabhaya fled the country, a Chinese research ship was allowed to come to Sri Lanka which caused a big controversy. As soon as Ranil became the President, the Chinese ship came to Sri Lanka, and America and India protested against it.
It has been almost a year since Chinese research ships were banned from coming to Sri Lanka. The foreign minister said that this ban would be lifted, it did not happen. Recently, the Naval Media Spokesperson said that 50 foreign warships have arrived in Sri Lanka so far, and Sri Lanka has received foreign exchange from them. The naval media spokesperson further said that most of these ships are American, Russian and Japanese warships. A Chinese naval hospital ship arrived in Colombo after Sri Lanka imposed a ban on Chinese research ships. That was in last June. A Chinese warship is to come to Sri Lanka for the first time after the ban on Chinese research ships.
China is sending these warships to Sri Lanka maybe to monitor the policy of the president who wins the presidential election. If not China will not send a warship despite a ban on research ships on the eve of a presidential election in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s Naval Media Spokesman highlighted that the income from the foreign warships maybe after the granting of permission to the Chinese warship. Last week, an American naval ship also came to Sri Lanka.
China follows a silent policy regarding Sri Lanka’s presidential election. The Chinese ambassador recently did not meet any political leaders apart from the meeting with the TNA MPs. The Chinese Navy spokesman makes a statement about the arrival of a Chinese warship in Sri Lanka while China is following a policy of silence about Sri Lankan politics.
The new president who takes office in the presidential election will have to decide whether or not to extend the ban on Chinese research ships when making foreign policy decisions. Despite the foreign minister saying that the ban would be lifted, Ranil refused it, maybe to allow the next president to take the decision, perhaps to save him. China may send a warship before that to feel the new president’s pulse on Chinese research ships.
