KAMALIKA PIERIS
There are
three aspects to a local discussion on China, the role of China in Sri Lanka,
the role of China in the world and the role of China in Marxism. Let us start
with the last item.
The latest development
in Marxism is ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,’ said analysts.
China is now projecting its
brand of Communism as a possible model for other countries and western economies
should take a look at it.
China has
developed a socialist economy, where government and state-owned enterprises
have played a prominent role in promoting industrialization and agricultural
modernization. But it has allowed the market to play a decisive role.
China’s
Communist Party has made use of the economic analysis of the west. Western
knowledge on finance, prices, currency, markets, competition, trade, exchange
rates, enterprises, growth, and management were used by China.China
has also recognized property rights and is permitting farmers to contract out
their lands.
Researchers
also found that the descendants of the old elite were back in business in modern
China. It is the descendants of the old elite who are now doing well in
Communist China. The grandchildren of the old elite have regained the position
their families once enjoyed, analysts reported.
They are more educated and wealthy, less bothered by inequality, more
entrepreneurial, more pro market, and more inclined to individualism, than the rest,
said researchers.
China’s position
in the world is going from strength to strength. For years,United States had the most diplomatic posts but in 2020, it has
been overtaken by China. .
In November
2020 China established a 15 country free trade alliance, the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RECEP). RECEP consists of China, Japan, South Korea,
Australia, New Zealand and the ASEAN group, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. This is the largest
trade pact in the world, today.
Chinas’ Belt
and Road programme (BRI) is also booming. BRI consists of more than 200
initiatives, with the active participation of 138 countries and 13
international organizations. BRI signed 29 more intergovernmental cooperation
agreements in 2019.
The Belt and
Road Initiative is getting on well, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, reported
China. Most projects under the scheme are progressing. The China railway express
to Europe is growing. Over 3,000 freight trains have been operational in the
first nine months of 2020 said China. This represents an 80 percent increase
over 2019.
China’s
economy has been growing at the mind-boggling rate of 10% in the last 30
years. Covid-19 brought it down, but
only by a small margin, said analysts. China
is now one of the biggest traders, funders, infrastructure builders and
preferred lenders in Africa, Latin America, Central and South East Asia said
TIME.
China sent
medical aid to 122 countries and medical expertise to 25 countries. We have
shared anti-COVID-19 experiences and practices with BRI countries with no
reservations, reported China.
Universities
in English-speaking countries, especially Britain, Australia and the United
States, have grown increasingly dependent on Chinese students. Nearly a million
Chinese students studied abroad in 2018, according to UNESCO. Many chose
Australia, the U.K. or Canada, but the U.S. has been their top destination for
years. Some 370,000 enrolled in American schools in 2018, bringing $15 billion
to the U.S. economy and creating thousands of jobs, said the Institute of
International Education.
The world has
to come to terms with China, analysts concluded. The Western countries cannot
continue to treat China as an outcast and try to undermine its development and influence.
USA has
developed the Quadrilateral alliance to combat China militarily. China is
cultivating one member of the Quad, Japan. In November 2020, State Councilor
and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China met with Japanese Foreign Minister
Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo, Japan. The two Ministers had candid and in-depth
discussions on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues
of common interest, and reached a wide range of important consensuses.
They agreed
to accelerate negotiations on the China-Japan-South Korea free trade area. They
also agreed to support each other at the Tokyo Olympic Games and the Beijing
Winter Olympics. The two countries will start
preparing for the 50th anniversary of China-Japan diplomatic ties which will take place in 2022.
It was also decided
that the two countries will hold a new round of high-level consultation on
maritime affairs to strengthen communication between the foreign affairs
departments and maritime law enforcement agencies of the two countries. The two
countries will launch direct maritime and air contact between the two defense
Departments.
Another
member of the Quad, Australia faces a problem when it opposes China. Australia
is today heavily dependent on Chinese students, to keep the University system
going. In 2019, there were 229,000 Chinese
students in Australia.
In Australia
one in 10 students at its top eight universities is Chinese. Australia could
lose about 6 to 8 billion Australian dollars if Chinese students stay away. At University
of Sydney ,they provided about 500
million Australian dollar in fees in 2017, almost a quarter of the
university’s 2.3 billion revenue.
Australian
politicians lack a coherent China strategy, said analysts. We have grown used to an
American-led world and now we are seeing the limits of that. Australia supports US against China, though China is
Australia’s biggest trade partner. Australia also, like US, imposes sanctions on China and complains
to the WTO when China retaliates.
China is now taking the US-China
war onto new territory. China has started to advertise in TIME. China
has paid for a four page advert in TIME issue of Dec 21, 2020. This is the first time I have seen
such a supplement. It is called China Watch” and is authored by China Daily.” In
this supplement China spoke of
agriculture, film and music.
Beijing is going to
perform everything composed by Beethoven, even if it takes days and days. Beijing loves
Beethoven. The Monkey king story is going to be made into a feature film but
with a difference, it will be in Peking
Opera style with martial arts added. China has developed high yielding seeds developed through a space induced mutation breeding known as
space mutagenesis. The seeds were shot into space in a rocket and brought back.
These seeds are capable of producing bountiful crops, such as 10,000 tomatoes. The
rocket used, the Shijian 8, is in the world’s first retrievable satellite for mutagenesis
in space
Now to the
role of China in Sri Lanka. China helped a lot during Eelam war. We were able to end the Eelam war because China threw its weight behind
us and sent us the required arms, said K Godage. China gave
the most assistance. China provided a
range of arms, ammunition, equipment, aircraft, as well as artillery, on loan
schemes. In 2007 they gave 37.6
million USD worth of ammunition and ordinance.
Chinese manufactured T-56 remains the standard assault rifle in use
among armed forces In Sri Lanka. China
delivered its arms through Pakistan.
China
provided jet planes to Sri Lanka in spite of Indian and Western pressure during
the Eelam war. China gave four F7 GS
jet interceptors on a soft loan, in June 2007, JY 11 three dimensional radar in September
2007, though India opposed and six F -7 fighter jets in 2008.
When the No 5
jet squadron was created in 1991, the Air Force had sought Chinese manufactured
A 5s, capable of carrying a higher payload, but China gave F7s. One of the pilots recalled that the Chinese
instructors who came encouraged him to
take the plane to 66,000 feet instead of the customary 63,000 feet. We
had to wear space-like suites. You could see the entire length and breadth of
Sri Lanka from that height. It was a breath-taking sight, he said. But Air
Force pilots had to be sent to Pakistan to receive training in jet ground
attack maneuvers as the Chinese were not
prepared to share experience and knowledge.
China has
continued to help Sri Lanka financially after the Eelam war ended. From 2006 to
August 2020, China has given US$ 13 billion as infrastructure investment. Thereafter China gave Rs 3.4 million to
University of Ruhuna to fund a new Multimedia Centre. China told Sri Lanka at a
special meeting in the Chinese embassy, that all necessary assistance would be
provided to control Covid 19. Thereafter, China provided a US$ 90 million grant
for medical care, education and water supplies specifically for coping with the
COVID-19 pandemic, said economist Ganeshan Wignaraja.
Since the
early 2000s, China has become an important provider of commercial loans to Sri
Lanka for infrastructure projects. US says that by accepting such loans Sri
Lanka is now stuck in a Chinese ‘debt trap’. Sri Lanka says no. Sri Lanka owes
more of its external public debt to financial markets and multilateral and bilateral
lenders than to China. Sri Lanka‘s debt to China amounted only to US$5 billion
in 2018, about 6 per cent of GDP.
China has offered to help Sri Lanka become economically
independent. In December 2020 China said it would build another tyre factory in
Matugama with an investment of US$ 600 million, similar to the tyre factory in Hambantota.
China also plans to build an automobile assembling plant in Sri Lanka in 2021.
Sri Lanka
should look at intensifying exports to China and try to move out of the comfort
zone of exporting mainly to the EU and US, said Palitha Kohona. He advised all
local exporters to try to get some ‘Chinese digital advertising space’ in
Chinese digital media followed by high-end buyers.
China and Sri
Lanka have enjoyed warm diplomatic ties since Sri Lanka first recognized China
in 1950, supported China’s accession to the United Nations and signed a rubber-rice
barter deal in 1952 observed Ganeshan Wignaraja.
China always
speaks of the traditional friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and
China. China keeps recalling this,
though Sri Lanka has forgotten all about it. China makes a special fuss of the Rubber
Rice pact.
Rubber-rice trade agreement with China in 1952
was greeted with considerable dismay in the US and Sri Lanka came under great
pressure. Sri Lanka signed the rubber rice agreement despite strong opposition
by US. The Rubber Rice pact was at once a vigorous demonstration of Sri
Lanka independence in external relations and her capacity to withstand pressure
from western powers, said historian K.M. de Silva.
Pact was renewed
every five years and was in operation for 30 years, till the early 80s, when
Sri Lanka was self sufficient in rice and China could buy natural rubber
without any restriction from producing countries. China appreciated that Sri Lanka had sold
them natural rubber when all other rubber producing countries declined due to
western pressure. China has never forgotten this. A grateful China has remained
Sri Lanka most dependable and valuable ally.
There is at
present a happy relationship between China and Sri Lanka. The sincerity of the friendship has never been questioned. China
has been very supportive of Sri Lanka and very encouraging too.
China told
Sri Lanka in 2016 You have 65,000
kilometers of land. You always say a small island country. No. Sri
Lanka is a big country. It is a great country. You have good culture. You have
long history. You have a legal system. Education is okay. You should be proud
of the culture, history and your country’s conditions. So why do you call
yourself a tiny island”.
In January 2020, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted
that China’s policy towards Sri Lanka had always been consistent, and China
would continue to be Sri Lanka’s reliable friend. China, as in the past, would be Sri Lanka’s
longtime partner in prosperity and growth, he said.
China stands for the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity
and independence. We will not allow any outside influences to interfere with
matters that are essentially internal concerns of Sri Lanka, Minister Yi said. China appreciated the fact that Sri Lanka has
supported its One China policy”. Sri Lanka has no diplomatic relations
with Taiwan.
Sri Lanka
reciprocated. People of Sri Lanka have warm feelings towards China not only
because it has assisted us in economic, security and diplomatic fields at our
hours of need but also because it has inspired Sri Lanka to remain nonaligned
and also without being a strategic partner of any foreign power, said the Sri
Lanka China Friendship Society. China has not sought to project its
military might in Sri Lanka. China has never compelled us to sign military agreements, unlike US.
If we are to
choose from whom to borrow, we would choose a genuine friend and China is a
true friend. Also Sri Lanka noted that China has the financial capacity to help
Sri Lanka, which the others don’t. Sri
Lanka is open to investments from any country, but only China was there to help
when the country needed it the most, said Sri Lanka . Chinese aid to Sri Lanka is many times more than the aid from western
countries such as US.
China
stresses its long relationship with China. Sri Lanka usually forgets this. China
Daily” released a time line in 2014. This time line said, China and Sri Lanka
established diplomatic relations on Feb. 7, 1957. In 1986, Chinese President Li Xiannian paid a
visit. In 1996 Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji paid a three-day official visit to
Sri Lanka
In 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited
Sri Lanka. The two sides issued a joint communiqué committing them to
developing an all-round cooperative partnership featuring sincere support and
everlasting friendship, continued the Time line.
On May 27-30,
2013, Rajapaksa paid a four-day state visit to China at the invitation of
Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two sides agreed to upgrade their relations
to a strategic cooperative partnership, and vowed to promote cooperation in
such areas as trade, investment, tourism and defense, said Yime line.
On May 22,
2014, Xi met Rajapaksa in Shanghai on the sidelines of a summit of the
Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. China
Daily time line ended there. It is
China which is recording this, not Sri Lanka.
The Sri
Lanka-China relationship is looked after by China, not Sri Lanka. Sinhala is
currently taught as a major language in several Chinese universities. Apart
from Yunnan University, the University of Beijing Foreign Studies University,
Chongqing Normal University and Minzu University are among them.
Sinhala
Language Studies Department was established at the Faculty of Foreign
Languages, Yunnan University, China. Around 25 students are studying it. Sugath
Ratnayake is the first Sri Lankan lecturer there. He has been working as an Instructor for the
Sinhala Service of China International Radio in Beijing Three Chinese lecturers
who have graduated in Sinhala from the Beijing University of Foreign Studies
are also teaching.
But the Sri
Lanka embassy in China does not know Chinese. Of the 20 Sri Lankans in the Sri
Lankan Embassy in China not one can speak fluent Chinese. Neither can I, said
Kohona when taking up duties as ambassador to China in 2020. But he will learn
Chinese as soon as possible. ( Continued)
