Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

We will welcome Chinese investors, Sri Lanka's foreign minister tells Beijing

Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera said that his government would welcome Chinese investment during a visit to Beijing on Friday.

His visit comes as doubs remain over whether the new government will allow China's proposed Colombo Port City development project, agreed to by the former Sri Lankan government, to go ahead as planned.

Stating that the issue was not explicitly discussed, Mr Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka would not make any decision on Chinese projects without consultation with China, reported Reuters.

"Anything relating to Chinese investment will be shared and discussed with the government of China before we take any final decision," he told reporters following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Friday.

"We are trying to ensure that there is a level playing field for all investors and a conducive environment for investment based on the restoration of the rule of law, democracy, good governance and transparency," Mr Samaraweera added.

"All proposals in future will be considered totally on merit."

Mr Wang Yi said: "China is willing to continue being a trustworthy and reliable development partner [and] will also keep doing its best to provide assistance for Sri Lanka's social and economic development."

Related articles:

Sri Lanka's foreign minister visits China (26 Feb 2015)

Sri Lanka to push for free trade agreements with US and China (26 Feb 2015)

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.