Emphasising that Sri Lanka remains a 'neutral' state with no military agreements with China, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has strongly stated that the country will not be used as a base for any threats against India. Interacting with media on his tour to the UK and France, Wickremesinghe said, "We are a neutral country, but we also emphasise the fact that we cannot allow Sri Lanka to be used as a base for any threats against India."
He added that there were no military agreements between Sri Lanka and China and that the latter was unlikely to enter one. "There won't be any military agreements. I don't think China will enter into one."
Despite this, the Sri Lankan President said that there were no issues with military use by China of Sri Lanka's port of Hambantota, which was leased to Beijing for 99 years in 2017 as a debt swap. He also assured that the security of the port is being controlled by the Sri Lankan government.
India's reservations against use of Hambantota port
Last year, India had expressed security concerns over the Chinese ballistic missile and satellite-tracking ship 'Yuan Wang 5' being docked at the Hambantota port.
The ship's arrival at the Hambantota port became controversial as China leased the port from Sri Lanka in 2017 for 99 years after Colombo failed to pay debts related to the construction of the facility. Colombo's nod to the docking of the Chinese research vessel was crucial as the cash-strapped Sri Lankan government is seeking an early bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
China says the ship is used for scientific research, but the US Defence Department says the ship is under the command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) and is capable of tracking satellites and missile launches.
China is a major creditor of Sri Lanka, and is vital to Sri Lanka's efforts to restructure its debt to secure a bailout from the IMF.
