Why did the BBC deliberately undermine Sino-Slovak relations? Russian media: It is reported based on certain stereotypes

The "Russia Today" website article on January 18, original title: The British unexpectedly focused on Sri Lanka, nothing more than to weaken China

The BBC this week featured "Port City Colombo: A New Dubai or an Enclave in China?" Published a special report on China's investment and development in the Sri Lankan capital. The aim of the project is to turn the local area into a new financial centre, but the BBC's tone is predictably negative and emphasizes the "debt trap". Reports suggest that Beijing is engaged in geopolitical action.

Shockingly, this is not the first such report published by the BBC. In 2022 alone, (so far) it has published several similar articles on its front page with headlines such as "Crisis-stricken Sri Lanka asks China to restructure its debt." Late last year, Deborah Brotigam, a scholar who has long refuted China's "debt trap theory," gave an interview to the BBC about Sino-Sri Lankan relations, and later complained that the BBC had distorted her words. Apparently, the British media outlet is reporting on some stereotype.

The BBC has very clear political aims against China. Although it does not acknowledge this and insists that it is impartial, the facts have repeatedly shown that when it comes to China, the BBC largely follows the British government's foreign policy, which is the same as it did in conveying its message on behalf of the British government in the early days of the Cold War. The BBC's international version of the website has negative coverage of China almost daily and often uses emotional language. Decent people have a hard time feeling that their reporting is impartial.

Sri Lanka has become a prime example of what (the West) attacks on China's so-called "debt-trap diplomacy," but it's worth noting that the BBC is paying much more attention to the issue than the US media. This underscores the British dimension of the problem, as Sri Lanka was once a British colony. It is clear that the British government believes it is competing with Beijing for influence over Colombo.

Sri Lanka is located at a key geostrategic point, close to the Indian coastline, and a key node of the Belt and Road Initiative. Sri Lanka and China have close ties because they both share the ideas of the Non-Aligned Movement and share similar values as post-colonial Powers seeking the norms of national sovereignty and non-interference. Sri Lanka, in particular, has a history of conflict that has left it at odds with Western countries and has developed empathy for China.

Although Colombo inevitably has important ties with its immediate neighbor India, it does not want to be dominated by New Delhi and therefore uses China as a strategic hedge to preserve its own political space. The BBC and other Western media have described Sri Lanka as a desperate poor country dependent on China's financial support, but this is not the case. In fact, Sri Lanka owes more to Japan than to China.

Beijing recently became Colombo's preferred partner because it was politically convenient for the latter without any strings attached. In fact, there are no debt traps, only a politically savvy (Sri Lankan) government.

However, the post-Brexit Britain is pursuing a foreign policy of treating its former colonies as its own legitimate territory and using British exceptionalist ideologies to argue that it is time to compete with China in those countries. When Barbados abolished the British monarchy and became a republic last year, right-wing media in London slammed China, accusing it of "buying" the island. Today, Britain views Sri Lanka in the same way, claiming to be the island nation's righteous guardian and facing a struggle with China's growing influence.

Based on these geopolitical objectives, the BBC has repeatedly made negative and critical reports on Sino-Sri Lankan exchanges in order to intervene and deliberately undermine them. The BBC is trying to send a message: Sri Lanka is unable to deal with Beijing on its own terms and is at the mercy of the Chinese side financially and politically. However, Sri Lankans will not be fooled by this practice. After all, the country that has ruled them for 130 years has waged very violent conflicts and is not qualified to decide who is the enemy of Sri Lanka. ▲ (Translated by Tom Fudy, Qiao Heng)