Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy – Page 2

Factum Perspective: Are China and Russia imperialist?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsNovember 28, 2022923Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Shiran Illanperuma Recent geopolitical and economic developments disrupting the US-led unipolar world order have renewed debate on the concept of imperialism. In the post-war period, the term was politically deployed by National Liberation movements around the world, and worker states in the Communist bloc, to describe the policies and actions of the West (namely…

Factum Perspective: Why Xi Jinping is not the “New Mao”

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsNovember 7, 2022844Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Rathindra Kuruwita China changed its Constitution in 2018, abolishing term limits on the only top position it had limits on, the presidency. Following this move, certain commentators have been insisting that President Xi Jinping has transformed into a new Mao Zedong. This argument is based on their reading of certain events at the 20th…

Factum Perspective: The President elaborates on the geopolitics of two oceans

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 2, 2022961Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya In a recent speech at the National Defence College, President Ranil Wickremesinghe made comments on the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean, some of which throw light on aspects of his approach to foreign policy - and others that point to some grey areas. “The geopolitics of the Indian Ocean has unfortunately made…

Factum Perspective: Sri Lanka’s crisis and the dilemmas of small states

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 12, 2022695Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Sri Lanka’s economic woes have not cast a shadow over its complex foreign relations. On August 16, the southern port of Hambantota welcomed the Yuan Wang 5, a research vessel from China. While Colombo had asked for a deferral of the visit, it later relented and allowed the ship to dock until…

Factum Perspective: The Case for a Sri Lankan Maritime Strategy and a National Security Advisor

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime Security, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 29, 2022700Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran The recent Sri Lanka-India-China triangular controversy over the docking of the Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota port once again underscores the need to have a Sri Lankan National Maritime Strategy, a functioning National Security Council (NSC), and the appointment of a National Security Advisor (NSA). While Sri Lanka…

Factum Special Perspective: Taiwan – The Jewel of the West Pacific

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 28, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Kusum Wijetilleke Following the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded the island of Taiwan, creating Imperial Japan’s first colony. The Japanese had planned to create what it called a “model” colony, to showcase the benefits of “Japanization.” Roads and infrastructure were developed, as well as sanitation systems and a network of…

Factum Special Perspective: Spy ships in our waters

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 18, 2022707Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne A Chinese spy ship docking at the Hambantota Port has become news in Sri Lanka and India. Yet very few seem to be asking as to what exactly a spy ship is. Simply put, it is a ship dedicated for reconnaissance missions, especially electronic eavesdropping. A considerable number of countries…

Factum Perspective: Ranilism in foreign policy

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 7, 2022729Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya When Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s views on the resultant crisis differed somewhat from other MPs. Holding the one and only seat allocated to his party in Parliament, Wickremesinghe argued that Ukraine had antagonized Russia without seeking a peaceful diplomatic solution, and that the West played a…

Factum Perspective: The US agenda in Bangladesh

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 1, 2022648Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran The US agenda in developing countries seems for many a matter of raking up human rights issues, fostering civil unrest, and forcing weak governments to sign defense deals to counter China’s growing influence. In South Asia, this tactic is being applied in Bangladesh, a fiercely independent-minded country under the leadership of…

Factum Perspective: The economic aspect of foreign relations in South Asia

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 3, 2022734Views 0Likes 0Comments

All South Asian countries, not just Sri Lanka, are facing economic problems such as a shortage of essentials commodities, rising inflation, fall in the value of the local currency against the US dollar, and social and political unrest triggered by economic issues. Only the intensity varies. The roots of these domestic problems lie both in…

Factum Perspective: Indo-China influence – Which way foreign policy for Sri Lanka?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsFebruary 19, 2022552Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya During a recent visit to New Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris stated that Sri Lankans “increasingly recognise” India as a true friend. Peiris thanked India for offering much-needed assistance to the tune of USD 2.4 billion, emphasising cooperation in areas like energy security and air and sea connectivity…

Multilateralism in the Indo-Pacific and Maritime Domain Awareness

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime SecurityFebruary 19, 2022736Views 0Likes 0Comments

By LP A pilot project named PROTEUS introduced by the United States Naval Research Laboratory is the U.S. government’s latest addition in its arsenal of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) programs. Multiple government and private agencies are already engaged in the integrated system that facilitates heightened MDA capabilities[1]. The advent of PROTEUS reiterates the importance of…