Colombo a major stop on China's maritime Silk Road

[COLOMBO] A view from Sri Lanka's capital of land curving into a sea once famed for its pearls now shows giant yellow digger trucks piling boulders. It's another show of China's increasing global influence.

Once fought over by European powers, Sri Lanka is now benefiting from the attention of Asia's biggest economies, drawn to its Indian Ocean location along some of the world's busiest sea lanes. The Chinese-financed US$1.4 billion "Colombo Port City" project is its largest foreign-funded investment on record.

President Xi Jinping, who has sought to restore China's prestige and historical links along the "maritime Silk Road" through South-east and South Asia, arrived in Colombo on Tuesday, shortly after a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Deepening ties with East Asia would reduce the role of India in Sri Lanka's trade, and aid its recovery from 26 years of civil war.