China donates warships to Sri Lanka and Philippines in drive to expand regional influence
Vessels handed over as part of military aid packages as Beijing seeks to increase its footprint in the Indo-Pacific region
China will donate warships to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in the latest effort to boost its military influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The gift of a frigate to Sri Lanka was announced last week by Senior Colonel Xu Jianwei, military attaché at the Chinese embassy in Colombo, while Philippine naval spokesman Commander Jonathan Zata confirmed the donation of four new patrol boats from Beijing on Sunday.
The People’s Liberation Army will also provide “various training” to the Sri Lankan military and build an auditorium complex at the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Xu told an event last Monday, the Colombo Gazette reported.
On Sunday Zata said China would also give the Philippines 200 rocket propelled grenade launchers and ammunition, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
“China has had close military connections with Sri Lanka since the campaign against the Tamil Tigers in the 2000s,” said Wang Dehua, a South Asian expert at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies.