India plans power project in Sri Lanka after China’s shelved
By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — India has agreed to set up power projects on northern Sri Lankan islands in a deal seen as a strategic victory in its competition with China for influence in the Indian Ocean. A visiting Indian official and Sri Lanka’s foreign minister witnessed the signing. China earlier suspended its own planned power projects in Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. India considers neighboring Sri Lanka to be in its sphere of influence, while the island nation also is important to China’s ambitious “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative. The agreement comes amid a severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka, which has approached both India and China for help.