SRI LANKA SUSPENDS CHINESE PORT PROJECT
The Sri Lankan government has halted the construction of a $1.5 billion Chinese real estate project in Colombo pending government approval. The project was initially given the green light under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in what critics have called a “sweetheart deal." Government officials maintain that the deal did not meet environmental standards and lacked transparency. The suspension threatens deepening economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and China forged under Rajapaksa. At the same time, the move allays Indian fears of Chinese expansion in the Indian Ocean. Following the decision, Beijing urged Colombo to “properly resolve the issue in a way that helps Sri Lanka’s development and maintains the confidence of Chinese firms investing in Sri Lanka.” In recent years China has poured billions of dollars into Sri Lanka’s economy and infrastructure. (Reuters March 6, 2015; TheHindu March 7, 2015)
INDIAN, PAK FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET
Promising to mend relations with Pakistan, Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyan Jaishankar met with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry for the first time since assuming office this year (Jaishankar was formerly India's ambassador to the U.S.). The two met to discuss the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) but tensions have been high since the election of Narendra Modi last year, with an uptick in cross-border artillery exchanges and a freezing of bilateral dialogues. Talks aimed at reaching agreements on Kashmir, counterterrorism, and land disputes broke down in August after the Pakistani envoy to India hosted Kashmiri separatists. (Reuters March 3, 2015)
PAKISTAN TESTS BALLISTIC MISSILE
Pakistan has tested the maximum-range capabilities of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, according to Pakistan’s military. The missile, named Shaheen III, has a range of 1,700 miles and can deliver nuclear and conventional payloads. It was the first test since the military tested a terrain-hugging, nuclear-capable missile in February. The test comes a week after Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Pakistan in the first high-level bilateral talks in almost a year. (Zee News March 9, 2015)
BOMB MISSES BANGLADESH PM BY MINUTES
Several bombs exploded just minutes after the convoy of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina drove through a neighborhood in Dhaka. The PM escaped unscathed, though a policeman received minor injuries. Bangladesh has been plagued by unrest in recent months. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and their allies have enforced a nationwide transportation blockade and shutdown since January 5, demanding new parliamentary elections. Over 100 people have died in political violence, most in fire-bombings on public vehicles. (The Hindu March 7, 2015)
STALLING RAFALE DEAL HEIGHTENS PROSPECTS OF PAK-FA
India’s deal with Russia on the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), also known as PAK-FA or the Sukhoi T-50, is due to be fast-tracked after continued delays in India acquiring 126 French-made Dassault Rafale fighters. Instead of delivering the FGFA 94 months after signing the contract, India wants Russia to deliver the FGFA in 36 months. To quicken the process, India “is ready to forego the earlier plan for a 50:50 design and work-share agreement with Russia” and has “agreed to a lesser work-share for a realistic contract”. The Rafale deal has stalled recently as Dassault has raised the price of 108 fighters to be manufactured in India. India is pressing Dassault to stick to the original price detailed in the request for proposal. (Times of India, March 9, 2015)