The Counterweight to China – the new axis

China’s sheer size frightens its neighbors. Most of China’s neighboring countries with large Chinese populations have uneasy relationships with China owing to the economic power of the overseas Chinese people.

Now that China is not just an emerging superpower, but is one, soon to overtake the US, their position changes. The US is studying this change carefully and is in the process of refining its geopolitical influence in the region. We can glean some of this now with the recently announced visit of President Obama to both Cambodia and Myanmar. Let’s face it, the US has very close links with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, (Obama has a stepfather there) Philippines, and Taiwan. They are now working on Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam so that China’s is more balanced.

Whilst there is no doubt that there is Chinese influence in these countries, a counterweight with US investments to the newly emerging nations here, will help the US relieve the reliance on Chinese pressure that they may feel and the US can benefit from these new friendships, especially as they are emerging from authoritarian and leftist dictatorships.

Where does Sri Lanka fit in this? Well its strategic position in the Indian Ocean means that properly played we can get the maximum benefit from it. There is the Indian counterweight to China, which we currently seem to intensely annoy; a very bad move. Further the US need to get more play in South Asia is also rebuffed in favor of China, which is giving the administration all the answers to their own personal financial needs.

It will only be a matter of time when the canal in the neck of Malaysia is built enabling a significant cut in sea traffic to Myanmar and Thailand, to the Asian Superhighway for benefits of US influence to be met and for Sri Lanka either to play ball or suffer a one sided game of poker if China is favored over a fair balance.

It is well for the UNP NOT to play this one sided game and make concessions for a balanced approach that will help the long term interests of Sri Lanka from the interests of China which are currently fostered by the huge payoffs the rulers receive from China. In that sense it will only be a matter of moments when a more altruistic foreign policy is developed to benefit the people of Sri Lanka over personal interests of its rulers.