Sri Lanka says Indian Ocean power plays threaten trade route

AFP, Colombo :
Sri Lanka said Monday that power plays in the Indian Ocean by competing countries could threaten the free movement along the crucial maritime trading route.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe-speaking at a maritime security conference attended by representatives of 35 countries including the United States, China and India-said that there needs to be a multilateral agreement and new security arrangements to ensure free and safe passage through the Indian Ocean.
“The Indian Ocean is in need of a mutually benefiting security architecture established on a multilateral basis,” the prime minister said at the two-day conference hosted by Sri Lanka’s defence authorities.
“There is also space for an effective multilateral governing structure.”
Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka would be willing to take the lead in establishing such an agreement, which would see the island nation act as broker between key players China, India and the US.
The prime minister made direct reference to China’s interest in building ports in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in south Asia, which has “raised concerns of a possible Chinese long-term plan to extend its sea power to the Indian Ocean”.