Tug of giants in Indian Ocean: Will Sri Lanka choose to drift or steer?

THE Indian Ocean is fast becoming the world’s most contested geopolitical theatre. With two giants—India and China—promoting competing visions of regional order, Sri Lanka finds itself at the centre of a high-stakes maritime chessboard. India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for Allin the Region) and China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are more than development models—they are strategic blueprints shaping the 21st-century Indo-Pacific.

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Few nations are as strategically located as Sri Lanka. Nestled near major international sea lanes, our island sits at the maritime crossroads between East and West. Over 60,000 ships traverse these waters annually, carrying goods, energy, and data. Our ports, particularly Colombo and Hambantota, are not just infrastructure assets—they are geopollticalleverage points.

lf wisely navigated, Sri Lanka's location can become its greatest economic and diplomatic strength. If mismanaged, itcan leave us vulnerable to extemal pressures, debttraps, or the erosion of sovereignty.

India's SAGAR: Regional harmony or strategic hedging?

Launched in 2015, India's SAGAR doctrine aims to ensure regional maritime security and economic coop-eration. Unlike BRI's infrastructure-heavy focus, SAGAR presents itsetf as an inclusive, consultative framework, emphasising collective progress and regional owner-ship.