Illustration: Tang Tengfei/GT

While the global economy is battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many developing countries bearing harder brunt, the US government recently announced to withdraw a $480 million aid to Sri Lanka, which could be well received by media as a move by the US unhappy with blossoming economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and China.

"[The] US yanks $480 million aid to Sri Lanka with eye on China," titled a report of Nikkei on Tuesday. Cancelled in December 2020, the grant was approved by a US Congress-backed foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in April 2019. 

According to a statement of the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, the withdrawal was "due to lack of partner country engagement." However, the foreign media outlets' interpretation was not totally baseless due to Washington's well-known history of engaging in coercive diplomacy and withdrawing aid or slashing sanctions on others when there's no benefit for the US.

Sri Lanka has been regarded as an important part of the US' Indo-Pacific strategy. And it is not breaking news for the US trying to cajole or threaten other countries to pick its side and abandon cooperation with China. By defaming China, the US Secretary Mike Pompeo attempted to sow discord between China and Sri Lanka during his trip to the South Asian country in October 2020.

Picking sides is obviously not in line with the basic interest of Sri Lanka which is a non-aligned country, not to mention that the mutually respected friendship between Sri Lanka and China stands the test of time. With enhanced cooperation between the two Asian countries, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in recent years, there have been tangible benefits for the Sri Lankan people, such as new local jobs and improved infrastructure.

For instance, the first stage of a railway extension project in southern Sri Lanka was opened to traffic in April 2019, which was Sri Lanka's first railway built after its independence and was contracted to a Chinese company.

The cooperation between China and Sri Lanka was developed based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. As an important partner under the framework of BRI, Sri Lanka has seen increasing investment and growing financial aid from China in recent years, without any political strings attached.

With respect of the integrity of territory and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and non-interference principle in other countries' internal affairs, China has no intention to ask others to pick sides. Instead, China respects and supports Sri Lanka to develop friendly and cooperative relations with any other country, including the US.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka aside, other nations including Nepal and Bangladesh are also aware of Washington's malicious intention to pit them against China so as to enhance its own hegemony across the region. This disrespectful approach by Washington won't succeed.

By comparison, with a relatively better containment of the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic, Asian countries have seen a faster and more efficient recovery from the fallout of the crisis.

Despite the global economic recession brought about by the virus, China's direct investment in non-financial sectors in BRI partner countries grew by around 30 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters in 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said earlier.

Economic ties developed on the basis of equality and respect of countries such as China and Sri Lanka won't be disrupted by others' disturbance. 

The article was compiled based on an interview with Long Xingchun, president of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn