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Xi Jinping urges Sri Lanka to work with China to develop controversial Hambantota port
- Chinese leader tells his Sri Lankan counterpart Gotabaya Rajapaksa Beijing is keen to cooperate on key projects under the Belt and Road Initiative
- The decision to hand the port over to Chinese firm on a 99-year lease has heightened concerns from India and the US about ‘debt trap diplomacy’
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Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged Sri Lanka to continue to work with Beijing to develop the controversial Hambantota port.
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The Indian Ocean shipping hub, which sits along the main waterways of Asia and Europe, was handed over to a Chinese firm on a 99-year lease that prompted accusations of “debt-trap diplomacy” from countries such as India and the United States.
“China is willing to work with Sri Lanka to steadily promote key projects such as Colombo port city and Hambantota port, boosting high-quality construction under the Belt and Road Initiative to provide a strong driving force for Sri Lanka’s economic revival and sustainable development in the post-pandemic era,” Xi told his Sri Lankan counterpart Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
The Sri Lankan side has yet to provide a readout of Monday’s phone call.
Sri Lanka’s geographical position means it plays an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure development project that is one of Xi’s signature policies.
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Opened in 2010, the Hambantota port had been running at a loss because of the lack of commercial activity before it was handed over to a Chinese firm on a 99-year lease in 2017.
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