Ex-Indian minister raises concerns over differential treatment

Launching of political biography:

Former Indian Minister of State and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday raised concerns over Indian businesses not receiving the same treatment as Chinese firms.

“Indian businesses complain of the extraordinary stringencies your Environmental Impact Assessments have on Indian firms. They say that Chinese companies do not seem to face as many environmental hurdles as Indians do," he said

Tharoor who delivered the keynote address at the launch of the book ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe- A Political Biography’, asked Sri Lanka to "ensure a good level playing field for all sides”.

As China seeks to rebuild its maritime Silk Route and India reasserts its role in the Indian Ocean, the two countries have found Sri Lanka to be an important and strategic ally to have on their side.

Tharoor argued that India and Sri Lanka had strong economic and cultural ties in addition to sharing certain commonalities with the people of Tamil Nadu. With China, he said, it was always a double edged sword.

“There are some concerns that China’s interest in the Indian Ocean would undermine our own historical links and cultural ties built over centuries”, said Tharoor while adding that the Silk Road even its former ‘avatar’ was cause for concern in the region.

The former diplomat chose to highlight the story of Chinese Admiral Zheng He in the 15th century, who erected a stone tablet translated into Chinese, Persian and Tamil in Galle, with an inscription appealing to Hindu Gods to help him build a peaceful world through trade and commerce.

“But in reality Zheng He’s expeditions involved the use of military force, in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India. He controlled friendly rulers and strategic trade points. Intervened in the dynastic politics of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, abducting and executing local rulers in Kandy and elsewhere. He even seized the relic of the Buddha- a symbol of cultural and political sovereignty," he said.

Tharoor said these were not efforts to establish trade and commerce but also direct intervention in their political affairs under the pretext of ushering in a harmonious world order under the Chinese emperor.

“Those who want to revive historical links should also remember historical inequities," he said.

As Chinese investments and power grow in the region in countries like Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, Tharoor said that certain countries were looking to India as an “alternative security provider”, though India was best known for its ‘soft power’ rather than for its military might in the region. It was vital for India to compensate this weakness with its trade and commerce when competing with China, he said.

One such ‘soft power’ is the promotion of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which Tharoor said, was vital for Sri Lanka to be part of.

The Sri Lankan Cabinet this week approved an MoU to be signed among IORA member states to cooperate on and promote Small and Medium enterprises. While it was also reported that China’s top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng would pay an official visit to Pakistan and Sri Lanka starting Wednesday till Saturday.

“What we offer is not a roar of a super power but certainly something better than being one among the several jewels; pearls or otherwise of another country’s geopolitical miscalculations,” Tharoor said. 

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