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COLOMBO: China has raised objections to what it called the US harassment of Sri Lanka after Washington said the Indian Ocean island must make “difficult but necessary decisions” regarding its ties with China.
The comments from the Chinese embassy in Colombo came shortly before the arrival on Tuesday (October 27) of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is on a tour of Asia aimed at rolling back China’s growing influence. in the region.
“We strongly oppose the United States seizing the opportunity of the Secretary of State’s visit to sow and interfere in China-Sri Lanka relations, and to coerce and intimidate Sri Lanka,” the embassy said in a statement Monday. the night.
READ: Pompeo and Esper promote the anti-China message of the United States in the visit to India
China has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka as part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at uniting Asia, Europe and beyond, to the alarm of India and the United States.
The embassy said China’s ties to Sri Lanka date back 2,000 years and the two countries do not need a third party to dictate terms.
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Pompeo’s trip to Sri Lanka, and then to the Maldives, another Indian Ocean island nation, is seen as part of an attempt to counter China’s dominant economic presence in smaller countries that has left some of them with heavy debt. .
Before the trip, Dean Thompson, the senior State Department official for South and Central Asian affairs, said Sri Lanka must make difficult decisions to ensure its long-term economic independence.
READ: In Asia, US Secretary of State Pompeo hoped to strengthen allies against China
China also expressed concern about Pompeo’s trip at a time when Sri Lanka is battling the new coronavirus.
“Is it useful for the prevention and control of local epidemics? Is it in the interest of the Sri Lankan people,” the embassy asked.
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A Chinese delegation led by its top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, visited Colombo this month, but kept its staff and activities to a minimum in accordance with guidelines to avoid an increase in cases, the embassy said.
“We are willing to share these practices with the United States, in the hope of providing some reference for the visit of the Secretary of State and his handling of relations with small and medium-sized countries,” he said.
