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Sri Lanka frustrated by Chinese delays over FTA

The Sri Lankan government is growing frustrated over China’s delays in concluding a Free Trade Agreement, the Nikkei Asian Review reports.

Colombo sent Beijing a formal request to resume talks over three months ago and has not received a response, with some observers saying China has turned a cold shoulder due to the current government’s hesitation to incur more debt.

The Chinese are reported to be “unhappy” about various clauses being put forward by Sri Lankan negotiators, including a proposal to review the agreement every ten years.

Although the FTA was due to be completed last year, there are now doubts about an agreement even being reached by the end of this year.

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