President defends China investment in H’tota port

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday (30) said that the construction of the Hambantota Port, with funding from China, had been a project with enormous development potential, although some called it a debt trap.

The President pointed out that the previous government had leased the Hambantota Port to China but it was being used only for commercial purposes.

The President commented on the Chinese-funded Hambantota project after newly appointed Ambassadors of Republic of Korea, Germany, Holy See and Switzerland had presented their credentials.

The President’s Office quoted President Rajapaksa as having said Sri Lanka’s foreign policy based on neutrality and development cooperation was the country’s top priority.

“Sri Lanka is located in a place of strategic importance. Therefore, our country is attractive to many parties. In this context, Sri Lanka has chosen neutrality as its foreign policy. Our top most priority is mutually beneficial development cooperation. This country is open for foreign investments”,

The new envoys are Jeong Woonjin – Ambassador- the Republic of Korea, Holger Lothar Seubert – Ambassador- the Federal Republic of Germany, Monsignor Brian Udaigwe – Apostolic Nuncio-designate of the Holy See and Dominik Furgler – Ambassador- Switzerland

Explaining Sri Lanka’s policy towards the Indian Ocean during the discussion with the new envoys based in Colombo, the President said the Indian Ocean should be a free zone open to every country.

Five decades ago, it was Sri Lanka that proposed Indian Ocean to be declared as a zone of peace, the President recalled.

While paying attention to the development efforts of Sri Lanka in the recent past Rajapaksa said that after defeating terrorism in 2009 priority of the Government as well as the people of Sri Lanka was to achieve a rapid development.

“The economy was weakened due to terrorism. We required foreign investments for speedy development. China came forward to invest in development projects in the country. It was only a commercial transaction between our two countries. But some described this as a manifestation of a pro-China policy. Sri Lanka is a friend of all countries,” the President explained.

President Rajapaksa pointed out that the construction of the Hambantota Port with funding from China was a project with enormous development potential, “although some call it a debt trap”.

He said the previous Government leased the Hambantota Port to China but it is being used only for commercial purposes proving critics wrong.

Expressing their views the Ambassadors commended both President and the people of Sri Lanka for successfully controlling the COVID–19 pandemic. “Sri Lanka is so safe”, Ambassador of Korea Jeong Woonjin remarked.

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Holger Lothar Seubert said he was pleased to be appointed as an envoy to Sri Lanka that had overcome the COVID–19 pandemic.

“We are not here to lecture you, but to offer any possible assistance. We are certain that Sri Lanka is capable of choosing what needs to be done. We are ready to extend our cooperation to achieve development aspirations of Sri Lanka”, both German Ambassador Holger Lothar Seubert and Switzerland Ambassador Dominik Furgler echoed.

Communicating congratulations of Pope Francis to the President for the massive mandate received during elections Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See Monsignor Brian Udaigwe said he was a member of the entourage of the Holy Father during his visit to Sri Lanka in 2015. The Apostolic Nuncio said the geographical location was a great gift to Sri Lanka.