December 18, 2025 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Reading Time: 2 min read
On 16 December 2025, Ms. Sulochana Wijayasinghe, Researcher at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI), participated as a speaker in a panel discussion titled “Port-Led Development, Connectivity and Geopolitics in India’s Neighbourhood.” The event was organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).
Held in a hybrid format, the discussion brought together experts and participants from across the region. Speakers based in New Delhi joined the panel in person from the Sapru House (Manan Conference Room) at the Indian Council of World Affairs, while regional experts participated virtually.
The panel explored port-led development and connectivity initiatives undertaken by India’s maritime neighbors, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bangladesh and examined how these countries are leveraging their strategic geographical positions. The discussion also assessed how, by partnering with regional and extra-regional powers, these states are seeking to attract large scale investments in port infrastructure to stimulate domestic economic growth and strengthen their standing as key maritime, logistics, manufacturing and financial hubs in the region, particularly amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indian Ocean Region.
The discussion further focused on whether an emphasis on port infrastructure development and connectivity can translate into sustained internal economic progress, and how such initiatives align with the respective political, economic and security interests of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bangladesh. Panelists also examined how port expansion and external partnerships are reshaping island and littoral states in the region, the growing role of extra-regional powers in developing port infrastructure, and the broader implications, challenges and strategic options for India in responding to these evolving dynamics.
The panel discussion was chaired by Ambassador Ashok Kantha, Subhas Chandra Bose Chair Professor on International Relations at Chanakya University, Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), and former Ambassador of India to China and High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. Other distinguished speakers on the panel included Prof. Mahendra P. Lama (Centre for South Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi), Dr. Athaulla A. Rasheed (Head of Centre, Centre for Security and Strategic Studies, Maldives National University, Male), and Capt. Sarabjeet Singh Parmar (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow at the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, Australia India Institute and Indo-Pacific Studies Centre.
The event transcript can be accessed on the Indian Council of World Affairs website.
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