Lanka not getting entangled in tussle between US and China- Amaraweera

… wants MCC studied

By Ifham Nizam

The government would not allow Sri Lanka to get involved in a Cold War between the and China, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

Addressing the media yesterday, Amaraweera said that US State of Secretary, Mike Pompeo’s visit was an honour for Sri Lanka.

Amaraweera said that despite various allegations with regard to Pompeo’s visit, the government had been completely transparent.

“His visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between our two countries,” he said.

The Minister said that at present China was the world’s economic powerhouse. Even the United States had borrowed close to two trillion dollars from Beijing.

“There was nothing to hide. We were frank with him. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told Pompeo that Chinese aid had been beneficial and that there was no Chinese debt trap.”

Amaraweera said the US was Sri Lanka’s biggest export destination and that the government had not yet decided whether to sign the MCC agreement or not.

“I have never criticised the MCC agreement or said it is good or bad. My opinion is that we need to study this agreement more.”