- India and Sri Lanka Consider Building Land Link Amid Rising Chinese Influence
- Feasibility Studies Planned for Land Bridge and Petroleum Pipeline
- India Provides Aid to Sri Lanka Amid Economic Crisis and Raises Concerns Over Chinese Presence
During President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s first visit to the regional powerhouse, India and Sri Lanka agreed on Friday to contemplate building a land link, as Chinese influence on his island increases.
Establishing “land connectivity” across the Palk Strait, which is in places only about 25 kilometers wide, would offer India access to the key ports of Trincomalee and Colombo and strengthen a “millennium-old relationship,” according to a strategic document released by the two countries.
After their meeting, Narendra Modi promised feasibility studies for a land bridge and a petroleum pipeline.
Wickremesinghe’s two-day visit occurred one year after he became president after his predecessor was ousted during an unprecedented economic crisis.
Despite Colombo defaulting on its $46 billion in foreign debt, India poured nearly $4 billion in aid into Sri Lanka, which was experiencing daily street protests over food, fuel, and medication shortages.
“Sri Lanka faced many challenges in the past year. But we stood shoulder to shoulder with the Sri Lankan people in their time of need,” Modi said.
New Delhi also raised concerns regarding the “Chinese presence” in Sri Lanka, according to India’s foreign secretary Vineet Kwatra.
