Hitting China's great wall

Sri Lanka has presented some unlikely roadblocks to China's Silk Road project

The city of Hambantota in Sri Lanka could present an unlikely obstacle in the way of the otherwise relentless progress of China's giant Belt and Road project—part of the country's modern Silk Road initiative. This already encompasses many energy-based and other infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific region. In a direct affront to Beijing's long-term strategy, India has assumed the operation of a Chinese-built airport near the town that was intended to be part of a Belt and Road complex linked with an adjacent seaport. This is also Chinese-built and near one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Just as surprisingly, in October the Sri Lankan government rejected China's offer to build a