Japan offers to boost Sri Lanka security as China makes inroads
Japan has pledged to help strengthen Sri Lanka's maritime security, authorities said on 21 August, in a new sign of efforts to counter China's strategic grip on the Indian Ocean island.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena thanked Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera for donating two coast guard patrol craft costing over $11 million in total, his office said in a statement after talks in Colombo.
The statement said: ‘Attention has been drawn to further strengthening maritime security cooperation between Japan and Sri Lanka.’
The visit came a week after the US State Department gave $39 million to strengthen the island's naval capabilities.
Sirisena said he was happy that Onodera, the first Japanese defence minister to visit, was travelling to two strategic ports on the island.
Onodera will visit Hambantota, which Colombo in December 2017 leased to a Chinese state-owned company for 99 years.
The government said it was forced to lease the port for $1.1 billion because it could not service loans from Beijing to build the white-elephant facility agreed by former President Mahinda Rajapakse.
Hambantota, 230kms from Colombo, straddles the world's busiest east-west shipping route and gives China a foothold in a region long dominated by India.
The Japanese minister will also visit Trincomalee, a natural harbour that was the target of Japanese bombing during World War II.
China has edged out Japan as a key funder of ports and other projects in the island in recent years. Sri Lanka has become a key link in its ambitious ‘Belt and Road’ international infrastructure initiative. China has also vowed to keep providing financial help to Sri Lanka.
The International Monetary Fund, which bailed out Sri Lanka in 2016 with a $1.5 billion loan, has warned Colombo over its debt.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave]()
Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.
-
![Singapore plots a way forward with new technology and formation reform]()
Singapore plots a way forward with new technology and formation reform
Singapore spends about 3.5% of GDP on defence and the section’s budget sits on high on the proportion of national spending. The country is investing in uncrewed technology, medium- and long-range fires and new submarines and ships with the hunt also on for new maritime patrol aircraft.
-
![World Defense Show promises bigger and better event for 2026]()
World Defense Show promises bigger and better event for 2026
At this year's IDEF in Istanbul, Shephard spoke to World Defense Show (WDS) CEO Andrew Pearcey about his event's strategic role in Saudi Arabia, its themes and new features for 2026 and how it has grown since its launch in 2022.
-
![Ireland to increase defence capital spending by more than half to $2 billion]()
Ireland to increase defence capital spending by more than half to $2 billion
Ireland has struggled to meet its defence needs in the face of historical underinvestment, current limited funding and its status as a neutral country. Flush with bonus but possibly unreliable tax receipts, the government has committed additional defence capital spending for the rest of the decade.
-
![France unveils new strategic review as Macron vows to accelerate defence spend]()
France unveils new strategic review as Macron vows to accelerate defence spend
The 2025 National Strategic Review highlights the importance of readiness against a growing Russian threat and was published days after a speech from the French President Macron who called for an increase in defence spending worth €6.5 billion by 2027.
-
![Europe turns to industrial and procurement co-operation with Ukraine as supplies continue]()
Europe turns to industrial and procurement co-operation with Ukraine as supplies continue
Equipment has continued to flow into Ukraine from the European Union (EU), NATO and western countries as the war against Russia continues but other types of support with longer-term prospects are appearing.
