Joint Opposition delighted by Chinese envoy disproving UNP accusations Higher interest rates
Posted on November 3rd, 2016
By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island
November 3, 2016, 10:04 pm
The Joint Opposition yesterday thanked China for publicly countering lies propagated by the UNP- led government as regards loans received by the Rajapaksa administration.
Top JO spokesmen former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and MP Bandula Gunawardena said that China had set the record straight. Recollecting the dirty UNP campaign in the run up to two national level polls in January and August 2015, Prof. Peiris said that some had gone to the extent of alleging that corruption in Sri Lanka couldn’t be tackled unless Chinese investments were drastically pruned.
MP Gunawardena accused Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake of pursuing an anti-China policy detrimental to Sri Lanka.
The JO said the Chinese response to the government should be examined in the context of th e financial crisis caused by Central Bank bond scams. The JO commended the Chinese position underscored by Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang during a media briefing at the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday evening.
-Sab--FINAL_Layout-1-10.jpg)
Yi Xianliang
Prof. Peiris said that China had provided the wherewithal to wage war against the LTTE and at the conclusion of the conflict threw its weight behind Sri Lanka at various international forums. Strongly denying accusations that China was pursuing a hidden agenda here, the top envoy commented on the allegation levelled against the previous government of taking massive loans at high interest rates from China.
The Ambassador stressed that there was absolutely no basis for claims that China had provided loans to Sri Lanka at a higher interest rate. He said he had even discussed the claims with Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, adding that if Sri Lanka was not happy then it did not need to turn to China for more funds “We give loans to developing countries like Sri Lanka at 2 per cent interest.”
Having accused China for imposing unfair interest rates on Sri Lanka, the current government had obtained loans at much higher rates from non-Chinese sources, the Chinese envoy said.
November 3rd, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Bravo, Mr. AMBASSADOR!
Thank you for telling these CON-ARTISTES the BITTER TRUTH!
On behalf of the Sinhala Buddhist people of Sri Lanka we offer our sincere apologies for the ABSOLUTE LIES this PUPPET GOVERNMENT is broadcasting against China that has been our TRUE & TRUSTED Friend not only during the last 68 years of independence from Britain, but also during the 3,000 preceding years!
These LIARS cannot destroy the close relationship between our two peoples established on the basis of shared Asian cultural and Buddhist religious values!