Navigating Asymmetry- Maritime, Economic, and Diplomatic Strategies in Sri Lanka–China Relations.doc

People often look at Sri Lanka's relationship with China through the lenses of dependency theory and the "debt trap" story. These stories often show the island nation as a passive object of Beijing's strategic goals. These interpretations reflect aspects of asymmetry but often neglect the agency and bargaining power of small states within the context of great power politics. This paper contests deterministic dependency frameworks by employing a small-state agency perspective on China–Sri Lanka relations, emphasizing Colombo's proactive management of its asymmetric partnership.<br><br>The research utilizes a four-dimensional analytical framework. Maritime chokepoint diplomacy looks at Sri Lanka's position on the East-West shipping route and how it can use its port access and location-based leverage in talks. Second, strategic balancing looks at how Colombo is trying to get the best deal by working with China, India, and Western partners to create competition for influence. Third, economic security versus strategic vulnerability looks at the balance between growth driven by infrastructure and fiscal risks, with a focus on how governance choices affect outcomes. Lastly, small-state agency looks at times when Sri Lanka has renegotiated Chinese projects, put off starting them, or found new sources of investment to keep its independence.<br><br>The paper contends that Sri Lanka's bargaining power is derived not from rejecting asymmetry, but from strategically managing it through the synthesis of these dimensions. This method looks at the relationship between China and Sri Lanka as an interactive process that is affected by both structural limits and choices made by the government. The findings enhance international relations scholarship by providing a sophisticated comprehension of small-state strategies amidst escalating great power rivalry in the Indian Ocean region.