China-Sri Lanka Cooperation: News & Discussions

[TaiShang]

Sri Lanka in U-turn on port project
February 7, 2015

New government backs China's $1.4 billion proposal after favorable environmental report.

Sri Lanka's new government has approved China's $1.4 billion port project in the island nation's capital, marking a swift U-turn following warnings it might scrap the venture.

The decision was announced late on Thursday after China sent a special envoy to Colombo for talks with the new administration.

Many observers believe the Sri Lankan government is shifting from its predecessor's "China-first" foreign policy to improving ties with India and the United States.

Sri Lankan government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Thursday the Cabinet approved the Colombo Port City project following a favorable environmental impact assessment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday that cooperation between China and Sri Lanka benefits both countries.

The first phase of the single-largest investment project in Sri Lanka was inaugurated during President Xi Jinping's visit to the country in September.

This phase includes the construction of hotels, high-rise buildings, recreational facilities, a shopping complex, golf course and Formula 1 motor racing track.

The second phase will include Sri Lanka's first 100-floor skyscraper.

China sees the Colombo port project as a key shipping hub designed to boost transcontinental links.

The new Sri Lankan administration under President Maithripala Sirisena decided to re-evaluate all major projects launched by the previous government under concessionary loans, including the port project.

Its approval came on the day that Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao arrived in Colombo.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Liu noted the benefits that Colombo Port and Hambantota Port, in southern Sri Lanka, would bring to local people by raising their standard of living.

He made the comments when meeting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who will reportedly visit Beijing later this month.

"China believes the new Sri Lankan government will honor the bilateral friendship and ensure that cooperation projects will not be influenced by the domestic political situation," Liu said.

Samaraweera, hailing China as an "all-weather friend" of Sri Lanka, expressed the new government's willingness to establish all-around contacts with Beijing.

"We welcome China to invest in and offer assistance to Sri Lanka," he said.

Sun Shihai, director of the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies, said, "The harbor city project, which has great development potential, is in line with Sri Lanka's national interests."

Suggestions that it might be scrapped were due to the recent election in Sri Lanka and pressure from other countries concerned about Beijing's growing influence in the region, Sun said.

 

[graphican]

 

[singh sahab]

There we go. Somewhat repetition of cold war era by Sri Lanka.

 

[Kompromat]

Good job Sri Lanka. Look out for your own interests and those of your friends.

 

[JSCh]

"Help" is coming!!

*****
U.S. security adviser Rice pledges help for Sri Lanka 'transition'
By David Brunnstrom, WASHINGTON Fri Feb 6, 2015 6:58pm EST

(Reuters) - The United States pledged on Friday to assist Sri Lanka's new government in creating a more open and democratic society.

In a speech laying out President Barack Obama's updated national security strategy, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice included Sri Lanka alongside Myanmar - which is also known as Burma - and Tunisia as a country "in transition."

"We’ll help countries in transition - like Burma, Tunisia, and Sri Lanka - become more open, more democratic, and more inclusive societies," Rice said in a speech at the Brookings Institute.

Earlier, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States had commended steps by new Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to address post-war reconciliation and long-standing issues such as governance and accountability.

"Certainly have seen some positive steps here," she told a regular news briefing.

On Thursday, Nisha Biswal, the U.S. State Department's senior official for South Asia, who visited Sri Lanka last week, told reporters Sri Lanka still faced "big challenges" dealing with issues such as reconciliation.

"But there’s such a strong commitment that’s visible in this government to want to address these issues that we very much want to work with them to see that happen," she said.

The United States is keen to bolster ties with countries throughout Asia as part of its effort to counterbalance an increasingly powerful and assertive China, which has sought strategic influence in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government said this week it was planning a new investigation into accusations of human rights abuses in the final stages of a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009, amid international frustration at the failure of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into numerous civilian deaths.

Rajapaksa had refused to cooperate with any United Nations investigation into claims the army committed atrocities in the war. He was ousted in a surprise election defeat last month.

Sri Lanka's new Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera is expected to visit Washington next week.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Lou Charbonneau; Editing by Ken Wills)

 

[IND151]

The decision was announced late on Thursday after China sent a special envoy to Colombo for talks with the new administration.

Many observers believe the Sri Lankan government is shifting from its predecessor's "China-first" foreign policy to improving ties with India and the United States.

In the context of above the decision of going with Deal looks like a balancing act.​

 

[graphican]

Pro US government in Sri Lanka is in the best interest of its people. Keep a friendly posture with everybody including India and let China do development in the country. USA wouldn't ever invest $2B on Sri Lankan port because all it wants is to deny Chinese investment / influence in Sri Lanka but when Chinese development projects are refused, USA wouldn't have resources or reason to do developments of that scale instead.

Do what is best for your country but show what is again in the best for your own country.

 

[Beidou2020]

Sri Lanka just proves why no South Asian country will become a developed country this century. Politically too chaotic, too corrupt and highly disorganised. They care about everything else except economic development.

 

[Azizam]

Sri Lanka just proves why no South Asian country will become a developed country this century. Politically too chaotic, too corrupt and highly disorganised. They care about everything else except economic development.

Are you blind? The former government was too corrupt and that's why it wasn't elected this time. I don't know why people make a big deal out of an election and a change of government. It's normal in every democratic country. And in fact Sri Lanka proves not every South Asian country changes its priorities due to a change of government, that's why this project was not scrapped (it wasn't meant to be scrapped, it was only media hype) unlike your dream scenario where pro-US government comes and scrap all Chinese investments and pro-socialist government comes and scrap all US investments.

Pretty sure you are not Chinese either.

Pro US government in Sri Lanka is in the best interest of its people. Keep a friendly posture with everybody including India and let China do development in the country. USA wouldn't ever invest $2B on Sri Lankan port because all it wants is to deny Chinese investment / influence in Sri Lanka but when Chinese development projects are refused, USA wouldn't have resources or reason to do developments of that scale instead.

Do what is best for your country but show what is again in the best for your own country.

I don't think so. Hopefully US will invest in future. The goal is to have a dynamic foreign policy and open up the country for more investments instead of depending on one side as the previous government did.

 

[Nan Yang]

The issue with Rajapaksa was corruption and nepotism. There was nothing to do with China or India

 

[Azizam]

The issue with Rajapaksa was corruption and nepotism. There was nothing to do with China or India

Exactly! Not many in this forum understands it.

 

[ahojunk]

Money talks. Who is Sri Lanka kidding?

America is very good in giving lip service, but not the $1.5 billion.

No way Sri Lanka is bypassing the $1.5 billion from China.
.

 

[Gibbs]

Money talks. Who is Sri Lanka kidding?

America is very good in giving lip service, but not the $1.5 billion.

No way Sri Lanka is bypassing the $1.5 billion from China.
.

Seriously.. The only people who were kidding themselves were a few western based media with a massive anti Chinese complex and an equal over the top sensationalist Indian media thats wetting thier panties with the mere mention of China.. And of cause a few former Rajapaksa regime fan boys with arse burn after their defeat

Anybody with a iota of knowledge of the political situation in Colombo know just because a govt changed there wont be a some kind of earth shattering foreign policy changes.. Only thing that happened was the new govt rectified the skewed foreign policy of the former making it more balanced

Sino/Lanka diplomatic and economic relationship did not start just 10 years ago with Rajapaksa.. It's been solid for 60 plus years.. Now China has money to invest so they will.. If any others want to outbid them they're most welcome

The issue with Rajapaksa was corruption and nepotism. There was nothing to do with China or India

 

[TaiShang]

FM: Sri Lanka welcomes Chinese investors and tourists
By Li Shen


"We encourage Chinese investors to make use of the new investment opportunities that we have opened up in Sri Lanka," Samaraweera said.

His remarks cut off speculation of deteriorating bilateral ties following conflicts over Chinese investment projects in Sri Lanka.

On Jan. 21, the Sri Lankan cabinet of ministers decided to review the implementation of all large-scale projects in the island nation, including the Colombo Port City project which is a joint investment by Sri Lanka and China.

The decision was made "in keeping with the people's mandate of the open and transparent process of doing business," Samaraweera said. "The government has pledged that the Chinese government would be kept informed of the process and outcome of review of this project," he added.

Speaking about Chinese Premier Li's call for the country to offer a sound legal environment for Chinese investment during their meeting, Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka will provide a rule-based investment environment not only for Chinese investors, but also for investors from all parts of the world.

Samaraweera also invited Chinese development cooperation in its priority sectors, for example the tourism industry.

China is now Sri Lanka's third-largest source of tourists. Samaraweera said the number of Chinese tourists visiting Sri Lanka increased by 136 percent in 2014. "Our target is to receive 275,000 Chinese tourists by 2016," he added.

During his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Samaraweera and his counterpart discussed about the coming visit of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena next month.

President Sirisena is scheduled to visit China on March 26, his second official state visit after winning last month's presidential election. Sirisena will attend the 2015 Boao Forum for Asia in China's southernmost Hainan Province during his visit.

"We are confident that this high-level visit will signal the continued consolidation of our close relations for mutual benefit," Samaraweera said.

He also agreed with his Chinese counterpart Wang, who said on Friday that China is open to a tri-party cooperation with Sri Lanka and India. He looks forward to a tri-party understanding between China, India and Sri Lanka after the visits by President Sirisena and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the near future .

According to Samaraweera, the new government is pursuing renewed engagement with the international community. "It is a foreign policy in pursuit of friendship towards all and enmity towards none," Samaraweera told the press.

He also met with Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng during his two day visit. China and Sri Lanka are currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement. "We are hopeful that the FTA has the potential to open a new chapter in our economic relations," Samaraweera said.

 

[Gibbs]

SinoLanka relationship is time tested and steadfast.. Our diplomacy goes back over sixty years and relationship over 2000 years.. That did not start with the Rajapksa regime nor will it end with it's demise as some Indian and western media try to imply

The very reason they seem to celebrate that false belief prematurely should be taken as a compliment by China.. Especially the west jittery about the growing global power and challenge China is