Et tu Brute: China stabs Sri Lanka in the back by endorsing Ban Ki Moon’s re-election
by Pearl Thevanayagam
(June 08, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon has officially announced on Monday (June06, 2011) that he is seeking a second term in office. News reports say that so far he has no rivals and France and China have endorsed his re-election.
Yes, China endorsed his election for a second term in office.
In the grand scheme of things, China’s courting the Sri Lankan government for its hegemony in Asia obviously played no part when it came to global politics. Although described as pussyfooting on issues such as human rights and cowing down to super powers in the years gone by, he has of late emerged as an outspoken UN leader and is seen as exercising his judgement in quiet diplomacy devoid of manipulations by governments.
How would Sri Lanka view the treachery of China when on the one hand it went along with Russia to ask the UN to leave Sri Lanka alone to deal with its investigations into the conduct of its security forces in the last stages of war, and on the other endorsed the UNSG who has publicly proclaimed Sri Lankan government’s crass disregard for civilian lives by bombing safe zones and torturing captives as evidenced in Channel 4 videos?
The Chinese puzzle is set to start the government into re-thinking its courting China and granting it favours such as building contracts and bases in the island. It appears China is not exactly concerned with Sri Lanka’s internal problems. China is marching its way towards the superpower status and will trample over anything that stands in its way including little Sri Lanka. It is out to get what it wants and there is no stopping it.
Why is China keen on Ban Ki Moon’s re-election as UNSG? There are plenty of reasons. By 2009 more than 600,000 Mainland Chinese are resident in South Korea while approximately 560,000 South Korean citizens lived in China. South Korea did not condemn the Tiananmen Massacre and Pyongyang supported Beijing’s actions in 1989.
Culturally and geographically China shares quite a lot with both Koreas and Sri Lanka is but a trade opportunity and strategic surveillance spot for China; nothing more and nothing less.
Indeed China provided technical and military assistance to Sri Lanka when it needed it most. And China remains the largest trading partner and it proposed a Free Trade Agreement with Sri Lanka much to the chagrin of India which is at loggerheads with China and in competition to emerge as not only Asia’s super power but with hopes of becoming a world super power.
Sri Lanka cannot have its cake and eat it by courting China and side-lining its closest neighbour and ally India which has more cultural ties with Sri Lanka and in times of need would be the first to come to Sri Lanka’s assistance as it has proved in the past.
In toto, Sri Lanka cannot antagonise India since it would always come to the assistance of Tamils given their influence in Tamil Nadu and its voter base being crucial to the survival of any leading political party.
It looks like blood is thicker than water or in the case of Sri Lanka China will stick with its own crowd and Ban Ki Moon’s re-election is of far great significance to China while siding with Sri Lanka in its hour of need when the international community is ganging up on her for its abysmal record in human rights violations could be set aside for now.
After all, what does China stand to gain by supporting Sri Lanka? It already has got what it wants.
There we go, Ban Ki Moon is set for another term and perhaps Wimal Weerawansa should re-enact his play of fasting unto death until the UNSG is voted out.
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