Are Sri Lanka’s Relations with China Deepening? An Analysis of Economic, Military, and Diplomatic Data
Nilanthi Samaranayake, “Are Sri Lanka’s Relations with China Deepening? An Analysis of Economic, Military, and Diplomatic Data,” Asian Security, 7.2 (2011): 119-46.
During the past few years, Sri Lanka appears to have forged closer relations with China. Sri Lanka welcomed Chinese investment in building a port in Hambantota, arms from China for use in its civil war, and “dialogue partner” status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Such high-profile moves have unnerved analysts fearing the rise of Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region. A first-time, systematic analysis of the trends in Sri Lanka’s economic, military, and diplomatic relations with China reveals that ties have indeed been strengthening. However, Sri Lanka is neither bandwagoning with nor balancing China, as structural realism predicts. More attention should be devoted to explaining the security thinking of small states that are not following such predictions in response to the emergence of a regional hegemon. …
