China urges Sri Lanka to protect Chinese companies’ interests
Posted on March 26th, 2015

(Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 26 — Chinese President Xi JinpingThursday called on Sri Lanka toprotect the legitimate interests of Chinese companies, expressing willingness to deepencooperation in trade and infrastructure.

Xi made the remarks during talks with Sri Lanka’s new President Maithripala Sirisena,who is paying a state visit to China and to attend the 2015 Boao Forum for Asia.

“China’s cooperation with Sri Lanka is based on mutual benefit and a win-win situation,without any political preconditions,” Xi said, adding that China wishes to help Sri Lankasustain its development.

Sirisena said the current situation with a China-funded port in Colombo is temporary andthe problems do not lie with China. He said his country welcomes more investment fromChina, promising a healthy investment climate.

The 1.4 billion-U.S. dollar port city was part of a deal reached between China and SriLanka under the former Sri Lankan government. The new government, which took officein January, decided to re-examine it.

Xi and Sirisena pledged to continue the longstanding friendship between the twocountries. Xi stressed the friendship should be “carefully inherited, protected anddeveloped” while Sirisena said the new government will take more robust measures tocontinue friendly cooperation with China.

Calling on both sides to conclude negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement at an early date,Xi said China is willing to encourage Chinese businesses to invest in Sri Lanka and helpdevelop its manufacturing industry.

Xi said both sides should work to expand cooperation in health, agriculture, science,tourism and human resources as well as exchanges in military and regional andinternational affairs. He hoped Sri Lanka support China’s efforts to enhance cooperationwith South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Sri Lanka eyes more cooperation with China in trade, education, science and defense,Sirisena said, thanking China’s support for Hambantota port and promising his countrywill work with China to implement all the big projects agreements reached.

The 21st Century maritime silk road also emerge during their talks. Xi called on both sidesto make full use of the 40 billion U.S. dollar Silk Road fund and the Asian InfrastructureInvestment Bank to steadily push forward big projects and industrial cooperation.

Calling the ancient Silk Road a shared historical legacy, Sirisena said Sri Lanka is willing towork with China within the framework of the 21st Century maritime silk road.

Xi said China and Sri lanka should continue bilateral friendly cooperation and be trust-worthy and reliable friends. He said China respects Sri Lankan people’s choice ofdevelopment path in accordance with their national conditions and their efforts tosafeguard independence, sovereignty, stability and development.

Both countries should understand and support each other on territory and sovereigntyrelated issues, Xi said, adding that China is willing to enhance exchanges with Sri Lanka instate governance and hopes Sri Lanka can achieve more in national development.

Sirisena thanked China’s firm backing for his country in the United NationsHuman RightsCouncil and other international bodies. The U.N. Human Rights Council postponed therelease of a report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka from March until September afterthe new government requested more time to do its own probe into the violations.

After the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of documents on infrastructure,health and other sectors.

Prior to the talks, Xi held a red-carpet ceremony for Sirisena at the Great Hall of thePeople.

8 Responses to “China urges Sri Lanka to protect Chinese companies’ interests”

  1. Leela Says:

    China has been a friend of Sri Lanka long before the so-called European explorers visited the Occident. As far back in the 1950s, China has helped Sri Lanka with ‘rice-rubber’ pact when Sri Lanka was in dire need of rice and China wasn’t as rich as today. Since, China has been lending their hand to build various infrastructure projects not just to Sri Lanka but to many a country in all five continents. What is important however is China had not interfered in regime change or internal matters in any of those countries.

    Americans on the other hand and even small western nations interfere in the governance of practically every country that they do not like in the guise of promoting democracy. Unsettling the Middle East through Arab spring is the best example of their dirty work. Look at what has happened to countries like Syria and Libya that were once peaceful and flourishing.

    Any one can see that neo-cons today are not as rich as they were few decades back. China on the other hand has become the richest country meaning the country with largest reserves in the planet. The US and Europe survive on selling their government bonds to Chinese. Indeed the US owe trillions of dollars to China. The West is so desperate for china money the UK, France, Germany and Italy have joined the China based investment bank AIIB recently against the wish of their buddy, the Americans. Not just that, China does business with many a European countries by engaging in various infrastructure projects. But rouge Westerners and backward India keep telling us that China is a devil and we shouldn’t do business with them.

    In collusion with the Western conspirators who put him in pedestal, our small minded and know-nothing President Sirisena has suspended the Chinese funded 1.4 billion dollar Port City project that was inaugurated by Chinese President on alleged corruption and even threatened to close other projects as well. Such haughty action has deliberately put our long established extra ordinarily good relationship with China in jeopardy. It seems, on his way to Beijing, Sirisena has after all realized his folly: Halting Chinese projects on false pretexts is taking the country on an economic downhill.

    Now in Beijing, diffident Sirisena is trying his best to calm the Chinese hierarchy. He says, suspension of Port City project is temporary, it has nothing to do with Chinese and it’ll proceed eventually. But the western backed conspirators are moving ahead to clip the presidents wings and elevate their man, Don Juan as the dictatorial Prime Minister through a constitutional coup. Chinese are not naive not to know these efforts.

    Let’s see whether Sirisena can convince the Beijing hierarchies his baseless allegations of corruption between China companies and MR and/or get a reduction on his alleged high interest charges by EXIM bank of China.

    Sirisena must understand that even today, China is the biggest economy in the world on ppp terms and their intellect is not confused or as low as his is. Kanda haliya regime is taking Sri Lanka backwards. Let’s bring back sane Mahinda asap for the betterment of Sri Lanka.

  2. cassandra Says:

    It is understandable that China asks for the interests of the Chinese investors to be protected. But the SL President’s mandate is to primarily safeguard the INTERESTS OF SRI LANKA. Among other things, he should ensure that SL does not give away part of its territory to China as part of the Port City project.

  3. Dilrook Says:

    This is not just about safeguarding Chinese companies’ interests. It is more about safeguarding the Sri Lankan economy and national security. China is Sri Lanka’s largest lender and development partner. It is peanuts for China but very significant for Sri Lanka. The continuing downward trend of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the devaluation of the rupee is enough evidence of the impending economic disaster. Sri Lanka entered into an agreement with India for $1.5 billion to sustain the value of the rupee. However, if Chinese interests are not protected, there is no hope for the Sri Lankan economy.

    Handing over in excess of 400 ha of land to India in Trincomalee is a bigger crime than allowing a Chinese-Sri Lankan company own land in Colombo to the extent of 20 ha. Now India says it will develop the Trinco tank farm which will turn Trincomalee into the petroleum hub of the region. This is an absurd business proposition. There is no economic need. Even in the past it was used by British and other military vessels as there was no commercial need.

    It is also interesting to remember that India wanted Trincomalee to be the capital of the combined northern and eastern provinces in 1987. Thankfully LTTE and the Sri Lankan government refused. The Indian hegemonic plan is obvious. Not to mention Indian designs of the LTTE to disintegrate the island. India is a well proven national security threat to Sri Lanka and China has not done anything that threatens it. Sri Lanka needs China even more in future to defend its interests at the UN Security Council.

    Hopefully President Sirisena will act wisely without paying heed to his idiotic unelected Prime Minister. Even after the passage of 19A, there is no legal requirement to do so as the President cannot be taken to task over it.

  4. Dilrook Says:

    What happens today in 2015 is very similar to what happened exactly 60 years ago. Due to Indian (and Soviet) pressure, Sri Lanka had to abandon the Anglo-Ceylon Defence Partnership Agreement (signed in 1947 fearing Indian interference). Soviet Union vetoed Ceylon’s entry to the UN giving various excuses pending the ending of the agreement until 1955.

    Soon after it was ended, India started to interfere in the island leading to war.

    India has changed its bed partner now from the SU to the US but follows the same tactic. If China withdraws from Sri Lanka, India will increase its interference culminating in another war.

  5. cassandra Says:

    Dilrook

    “This is not just about safeguarding Chinese companies’ interests. It is more about safeguarding the Sri Lankan economy and national security”

    If that is what you truly believe, so be it.

    As for me, it is naive to think that giving the Chinese a presence in SL is in SL’s interest anymore than it was to the country’s benefit to invite the Dutch in order to get rid of the Portuguese. Is it a case of history repeating itself?

  6. Christie Says:

    Namaste: Ceylon was one of the first countries to help China during the Korean War. Ceylon was dependent on rice from Burma that was produced by Indian colonial parasites who owned 3/4 of the arable land of Burma. It was Indian colonial parasites who supplied food to the tropical dominions of the British-Indian Empire. When Buddarakkita tendered to transport rice the Indian colonial parasites protested to SWRD and Banda was killed.
    Those who believe in the Indian Imperialists will follow the path of the Bo people of Andaman and Nicobar islands and Mauritius. Tie to move from our hate for the West. Latest is Indian Imperialists are getting in to Partnership with the US. The new Indian-US Empire is following the same path of the British-Indian Empire. We got a new US High commissioner who is not a Kenyan American. Jai Hind

  7. mario_perera Says:

    Successive Sri Lankan governments are jumping into the Fire to escape the Frying Pan, and jumping back into the Frying Pan to escape the Fire.

    The country’s situation can be aptly called: DUPPATAGE DUKKHA…the plight of the poor, the powerless and the destitute.

    Mario Perera
    Kadawata

  8. Lorenzo Says:

    Sri Lanka yesterday declared that its rapid improvement in post-presidential election relations with the Western powers and India wouldn’t be at China’s expense.

    Acting Foreign Minister Ajith P. Perera stressed that the new government remained committed to further improving ties with Pakistan, China and Russia and Czech Republic.”

    -island.lk

    GOOD.

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