US Jumps Into Port Race Pitting China Versus India

When the US agreed last week to back a Sri Lankan port terminal being developed by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, it signaled an open challenge to China’s own Indian Ocean trade infrastructure known as the “string of pearls,” a maritime network that some western analysts worry could have military capabilities.

The International Development Finance Corp.’s $553 million loan package to the Adani-led West Container Terminal in Colombo not only spoke to deepening India-US strategic ties, it also heralded a revival of the embattled tycoon’s efforts to beef up his own international presence after pulling out of Myanmar following the 2021 coup.