SL should do more for social, economic development: Top Chinese scholar

• We would like to provide such help because South Asia is the peripheral region of China. So, for the Chinese government, we don’t want the peripheral region to fall into turmoil and instability.

Senior Fellow and Director of Centre for South Asian Studies Prof. Liu Zongyi, in an interview with Daily Mirror, shared his views on the current regional developments, China – Sri Lanka relations. He is a leading Chinese scholar who heads this think-tank funded by the Chinese government and based in Shanghai, China. Excerpts: 

QHow do you see the current developments in the South Asian region?  
There is a contradiction for the regional countries. They would like to get social and economic development. But, on the other hand, the governments of all the countries in this region cannot provide sufficient resources and capital for social and economic development.
India is the largest economy in the region, but India cannot provide sufficient funds and help other nations for economic development. India and other countries in the region are in competition with each other. That is because social and economic development levels in India and other countries are at the same level.
So, India would like to develop their own industries. Other countries also would like to develop their industries. So, there is a competition between India and other countries. 
So, in South Asia, if smaller and major states want to get economic and social development, they need help. They need investment from outside the region. In the past decades, China has contributed a lot to social and economic development, especially through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
QChina has invested in the Colombo Port City, the Hambantota Port, and the Mattala International Airport Port. Those projects are not fully picking up. They are yet to bring dividends properly. Why does China invest in projects which don’t yield sufficiently?
There are several reasons. India doesn’t want China to invest too much in the region. India thinks South Asia is the backyard of India- its area of influence. They don’t want other states and powers to invest too much in South Asia. 
India doesn’t want the United States and Western countries to invest too much in the region. So, this is why in the past decades, the small and medium states in the region cannot get fast development. They cannot get enough capital or investment from outside the region. Secondly, India wants to destroy the BRI. India does the same for China –Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). There is a hype created about Chinese investments in the region. For example, they coined the phrase ‘debt trap’.
It was a phrase coined by a famous Indian scholar. Indian mass media and Western mass media hype the term heavily. So, it caused an impression on the minds of   people in the region. People think China is bound to create a debt trap for you. 
There are some problems with the implementation of Chinese projects in the region as a result.
For example, in Sri Lanka. We are facing a lot of problems and obstacles in the implementation of the projects. 
For example, Chinese oil company Sinopec. They would like to build a refinery here. Now, they are facing obstacles because local companies don’t want Chinese oil companies to come here. It is a problem of competition. If the Chinese Oil Company is present here with their technologies, local companies will face severe competition.
 In the past, China invested a lot in Sri Lanka and built a lot of infrastructure projects such as the Hambantota Port. It›s a mega infrastructure project. It needs time to become effective.
It cannot fall into effect in just one or two years. But the local people think why they (China) invest so much but cannot create jobs for them. Now you can find the Hambantota Port has started creating benefits for local people. 
QWhat about the Mattala International Airport?
It needs time. If there are so many companies present here, and more and more people come, then the airport will be effective.
QNow, there is tension between India and Pakistan. What kind of a role does China expect to play?
Which one is the largest destroyer in the region? You know, in India-controlled Kashmir, there are some terrorist attacks. India has no concrete proof to prove that Pakistan did it.
 India said Pakistan did it. So, it created a problem. So, China would like to persuade Pakistan and India to sit down and solve the issue peacefully.
QBut there is an allegation now. Pakistan downed Indian warplanes using fighter jets provided by China. What are your views?
It’s normal. We would like to provide defensive weaponry to medium and small countries in the region. We would like to provide such defensive weaponry to Pakistan, to Bangladesh, also to Sri Lanka. You know, in the process of the Sri Lankan government’s crackdown on the Tamil Tiger movement, China helped the Sri Lankan government a lot. So, China would like to assist the states in the region to maintain order.
We would like to provide such help because South Asia is the peripheral region of China. So, for the Chinese government, we don’t want the peripheral region to fall into turmoil and instability.
We want peace and stability of our surrounding regions. We want the surrounding states of China to get faster social and economic development. 
QPresident Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited Beijing. How do you see the progress of bilateral relations after that?
When the President visited Beijing, we reached many agreements to improve our bilateral relations. In the joint statement, we can find China’s promise to do a lot for economic and social development of Sri Lanka.
We can cooperate in the industrial sector, agriculture sector etc.
QDo you see any tangible action being taken by the government of Sri Lanka to improve bilateral  relations after the visit?
You see China’s Sinopec has come here for investment. They are facing a lot of obstacles.
 I think, for the government, anti-corruption drive is very important. It is very important. But in the long run, the people want to get social and economic development. 
They just want to get benefit from the government to improve their livelihood. The current Sri Lankan government mainly focusses on anti-corruption and other issues, not social and economic development. That’s the problem. They focus only on anti-corruption. I think a responsible government should do more things in addition to doing anti-corruption work.
QOther global major powers are  interested in Sri Lanka because of its strategic location. They want Sri Lanka to tie up with them to contain the influence of China in the region. How does China react?
 Actually, the Chinese government and the Chinese companies are not afraid of competition. We can compete with  companies from other countries.
If there is some competition governed by regulations, it will not be a problem. But, you know, under the water, there are a lot of activities. Then ,we cannot compete with other countries. We don’t want to interfere with Sri Lanka’s domestic politics.
We focus on  economy. So, we don’t want to be involved in other domestic political issues. We also don’t want the Sri Lankan government to come under pressure from other countries, especially from India and the United States. When Chinese companies come here, we don’t want you to face so much pressure from other countries, especially India and the United States.
QThis government is also a leftist government. They have close ties with the Communist Party of China. Do you see any difference between the current government of Sri Lanka and the past governments in dealing with China? 
No difference. They are the same. This government is also having the same attitude towards China. It’s not pro-China.
The Chinese Communist Party experienced a revolution. Your President may have participated in some struggle. But his experience is mainly a parliamentary struggle. It’s not revolution. It’s different. 
I don’t think the President is pro-China. I think he is a balanced one as far as China and India are concerned. He visited India first and accepted a lot from India. There are a lot of conditions from India. There are now  separate conditions for China, though.  
India provided a lot of relief to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis such as a credit line to purchase essentials. Why didn’t China extend humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis?
China provided a lot of assistance to Sri Lanka during the crisis, firstly because China did not publicize it as much as India did. Secondly, many Sri Lankan media and the public have not paid attention to China’s aid because they have been misled by some individuals or organizations.