Expect neighbours to keep our concerns in mind: Indian foreign ministry

India on Thursday said it hoped its South Asian neighbours will be sensitive to its concerns, these comments come in the wake of China making increasing inroads in its periphery by cementing economic and strategic engagements with countries like Sri Lanka, LIVE Mint reported.

The comment from the Indian foreign ministry follows media reports of  Sri Lanka  formally handing over  Hambantota port to China on a 99-year lease. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe attended a special event to mark the handover, formally described as a concession agreement, on Saturday.

The foreign ministry remark also follows the Maldives last week signing a crucial free trade deal with China, while endorsing its Maritime Silk Road project shunned by India for its strategic implications in the Indian Ocean. Maldives President Abdulla Yameen was quoted in reports as saying that the Maldives views China as “among our closest friends, most trusted and most dependable partners”.

In another neighbour of India’s in South Asia —Nepal—a Leftist coalition forged by China has come to power. Former Nepalese prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli—who shared a difficult relationship with India and a comfortable equation with China—is expected to make a comeback as Prime Minister.

When asked for comments on Sri Lanka handing Hambantota to China and the Maldives signing the free trade pact, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said India shared close ties with both its southern neighbours.

On Hambantota, Kumar said: “Our relations with Sri Lanka stand on their own and are not dependent on relations with any third country. We continue to take up with Sri Lanka issues related to the security concerns in the region and expect that our Sri Lankan friends keep in mind our security concerns and sensitivities.”

Hambantota sits on Sri Lanka’s southern coast and provides access to critical Indian Ocean sea lanes. The acquisition of the port by China has set off alarm bells in India, which is wary of Beijing’s growing strategic and economic clout in the Indian Ocean region.

China, as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, is keen to expand its Indian Ocean footprint.