{"id":228868,"date":"2022-08-28T14:02:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T08:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=228868"},"modified":"2022-09-06T03:35:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T22:05:48","slug":"the-china-lanka-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/","title":{"rendered":"The China-Lanka Conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"

By R Hariharan<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Col. (retd) R.Hariharan<\/p><\/div>\n

There was much consternation in India over the Chinese spy ship docking in Sri Lanka. India expressed its security concerns over berthing the ship at the Hambantota port. The truth is that symbolism triumphed over substance<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The controversial visit of China<\/a><\/span>\u2019s \u201cspy ship\u201d Yuan Wang-5<\/a><\/span> to Sri Lanka<\/a><\/span>\u2019s Hambantota port from August 16 to 22 is perhaps Sri Lanka\u2019s most commented news story, next only to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/a><\/span>\u2019s escape in stealth from the island-nation a few weeks earlier. The reason is not far to seek; the research ship belongs to the PLA\u2019s 5th branch \u2013 the Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) created in December 2015 to carry out space, cyber and electronic warfare. The ship is equipped with advanced electronic equipment, sensors and antennae to assist PLA\u2019s land-based stations in tracking satellite, rocket and ICBM launches within a range of 750 km.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s foreign affairs originally allowed the vessel to dock in Hambantota<\/a><\/span> from August 11 to 17. India expressed its security concerns over berthing the ship in Hambantota as soon as reports indicated that the ship was heading to the Sri Lankan port. The US also had expressed its security concerns. Perhaps in deference to India\u2019s concerns, the ministry in a message to the Chinese embassy asked the visit be delayed until further consultations. The Chinese embassy clarified that the maritime research vessel\u2019s visit was for replenishment and refuelling and did not pose a threat to any security or economic interests. It eventually succeeded in pressuring Sri Lanka\u2019s defence ministry to allow the research vessel to berth in Hambantota port from August 16 to 22, after laying down conditions that it would switch off its tracking equipment.<\/p>\n

The media pundits in India went to town with analyses of how the ship\u2019s berthing in Hambantota would compromise the security of our naval bases and satellite launch sites and missile launches. The plain truth is Yuan Wang-5 is capable of carrying out all these actions even without docking in Hambantota port. Many analyses across global media had been cautioning the US of China overtaking it as a strategic power. These analyses were basically revisiting the bogey of China\u2019s growing military prowess in the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n

Social media castigated Sri Lanka for its \u201cungratefulness\u201d to India, which had gone all out to lend a helping hand in times of Sri Lanka\u2019s economic distress, unlike China. Some critics called it a violation of the Indo-Lanka Accord 1987, though the Accord has no specific clause forbidding the berthing of warships of other countries in Sri Lanka ports in peacetime. Moreover, Sri Lanka had been repeatedly reassuring India at various levels that it would not allow the use of its soil to pose a security threat to India.<\/p>\n

The controversy over Yuan Wang-5\u2019s visit is timed to draw attention away from growing India-Sri Lanka relations, which are on the apogee. Probably it is also aimed at reminding Sri Lanka that it cannot afford to ignore China\u2019s interests, now embedded in the body politic of the island-nation. Moreover, for some time now, Sri Lanka is in talks with India at multiple levels to upgrade its transactional relations into a strategic relationship. These efforts have encouraged India to extend all out support to the people of Sri Lanka to meet their essential economic and energy requirements after the country went bankrupt. India\u2019s support has continued, in spite of political uncertainties in the country after the unceremonious exit of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the ascent of Ranil Wickremesinghe as president.<\/p>\n

It is worthwhile to examine the Yuan Wang-5 issue in the larger context of the strategic dynamics of the Indo-Pacific. Alfred North Whitehead, mathematician and process philosopher considers \u201csymbolism as no mere idle fantasy or corrupt degeneration. It is inherent in the very texture of human life.\u201d His words: \u201cthere is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have consequences for the world around us\u201d have great relevance in understanding the substance behind China\u2019s acts of symbolism.<\/p>\n

India celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav\u201475 years of India\u2019s independence\u2014on August 15. On that day, the Xinjiang command conducted live-fire drills near the LAC with a \u201cnew type of surface-to-air missile\u201d at an altitude of more than 4,500 metres (14,760 feet). A report in the South China Morning Post quoted military observers to say the weapons appeared to be HQ-17A air defence missiles, part of an integrated system that can fit in a single vehicle. Yuan Wang-5 steaming into Hambantota a day after India\u2019s Independence Day is also symbolic of China enforcing its writ in Sri Lanka despite India\u2019s security concerns.<\/p>\n

More than all this, Yuan Wang-5 is a demonstration of PLASSF capability as part of China\u2019s power projection in space and cyberspace. The SSF is also designed to coordinate intelligence sharing and operations in the informatized battlefields in real time. Informatization has been the mantra of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ever since PLA thinkers drew many lessons from their observations of the US Gulf War (1991) and Iraq War (2003). In their assessment, the US used effective coordinated employment of global media, international law, and other psychological warfare techniques. The use of these techniques collectively referred to as \u201cthree warfares\u201d could enhance results as military operations became more and more dependent on information technology tools.<\/p>\n

The concept of \u201cthree warfares\u201d was incorporated in the PLA Political Work Regulations for future conflicts in 2003. This has resulted in increased coordination of civil and military organs of state since then to get the best results of \u201cthree warfares\u201d.<\/p>\n

The timing of the Yuan Wang-5 controversy is uncanny. On June 6, India<\/a><\/span> successfully carried out the training launch of the intermediate range ballistic missile Agni-4 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Orissa under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command. The visit of Yuan Wang-5 is perhaps China\u2019s way of flaunting its capability to track India\u2019s ICBM launches. A month later, PLA tested an advanced PHL Multiple Lau\u00adnch Rocket System (MLRS) at an altitude of more than 5,300 metres in the Xinjiang Region.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar<\/a><\/span> has been on a mission for some time to lay bare China\u2019s double speak on matters related to India in many international forums. Only a month earlier, the 16th round of border talks between Corps Commanders of India and China ended in yet another stalemate. Last week in Bangkok, Jaishankar said the relationship between India and China is going through an \u201cextremely difficult phase\u201d after the Galwan incident in the Ladakh border in 2020. He emphasised that the Asian Century will not happen if the two neighbours could not join hands. \u201cWe very much hope that wisdom dawns on the Chinese side,\u201d he said while replying to a question in Bangkok.<\/p>\n

Now on a six-day tour of South America, Jaishankar said China has cast a shadow on bilateral ties by disregarding border pacts with India. He said the relationship cannot be a one-way street. \u201cThey are our neighbour and everybody wants to get along with their neighbour\u2026But everybody wants to get along with their neighbour on reasonable terms. I must respect you and you must respect me,\u201d he added. The EAM said \u201cfrom our point of view, we\u2019ve been very clear that if you have to build a relationship, then there has to be mutual respect. Each one will have their interests and we need to be sensitive to what the concerns are, of the other party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka is caught not only in the midst of muscle flexing between India and China in the Indian Ocean region, but it is also facing the flak of the strategic maelstrom blowing across the Indo-Pacific, after the visit of the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<\/a><\/span> to Taiwan on August 2. President Xi Jinping<\/a><\/span> had spoken to POTUS Joe Biden<\/a><\/span>, a month earlier to prevent the visit. According to media reports, President Biden not only told Xi that he \u201ccould not oblige\u201d as the US Congress was an independent body, but also warned the Chinese president against taking any \u201cprovocative and coercive\u201d actions if the visit took place. Pelosi\u2019s visit may be considered a big loss of face for Xi, particularly when he is poised to be re-elected as the CCP General Secretary in the next few months. The invectives China has used to condemn the US and its allies on this issue show that the stand-off over Taiwan is likely to continue for some time. We can expect the spill over of the continuing US-China confrontation in the Indian Ocean region in the coming months. It is imperative that China\u2019s symbolic acts are studied to gauge the substance behind them to understand its intentions.<\/p>\n

*The writer is a retired military intelligence specialist on South Asia associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":199,"featured_media":228869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-228868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nThe China-Lanka Conundrum - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The China-Lanka Conundrum - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-28T08:32:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-05T22:05:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"625\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"R. Hariharan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"R. Hariharan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/\",\"name\":\"The China-Lanka Conundrum - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-28T08:32:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-05T22:05:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c40de8fd124086fd34f16cfaae4c0af1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":625},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The China-Lanka Conundrum\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c40de8fd124086fd34f16cfaae4c0af1\",\"name\":\"R. Hariharan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/242ea02693f0a3a1417e18e37cfb5ef29819c0319d560cbd47aec7d96fc35bba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/242ea02693f0a3a1417e18e37cfb5ef29819c0319d560cbd47aec7d96fc35bba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"R. Hariharan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/rhari\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The China-Lanka Conundrum - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The China-Lanka Conundrum - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2022-08-28T08:32:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-05T22:05:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":625,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"R. Hariharan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"R. Hariharan","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/","name":"The China-Lanka Conundrum - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg","datePublished":"2022-08-28T08:32:42+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-05T22:05:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c40de8fd124086fd34f16cfaae4c0af1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg","width":900,"height":625},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-china-lanka-conundrum\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The China-Lanka Conundrum"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c40de8fd124086fd34f16cfaae4c0af1","name":"R. Hariharan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/242ea02693f0a3a1417e18e37cfb5ef29819c0319d560cbd47aec7d96fc35bba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/242ea02693f0a3a1417e18e37cfb5ef29819c0319d560cbd47aec7d96fc35bba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"R. Hariharan"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/rhari\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/China-Ranil-Wickremesinghe.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228868"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228993,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228868\/revisions\/228993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}