China has no “hidden agenda” in Sri Lanka and conducts its affairs
with the government in an “open and transparent manner”, the Chinese Ambassador
for Sri Lanka has said. While addressing local editors on Tuesday, Yi Xianliang
said the Sri Lankan public and local media have a wrong image about the Chinese
involvement in the country. “The Chinese do not get involved in local politics
and will work with the government in power. The Chinese firms have not bribed
Sri Lankans to do business in the country,” he said.
Yi added that “China has no
hidden agenda in Sri Lanka and conducts its affairs with the government in an
open and transparent manner”. Sri Lanka should not politicise economic
cooperation, he said in an obvious reference to the current government’s suspension
of the Colombo Port City project which was a pet initiative of former president
Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The envoy said the Chinese company had suffered a loss of
approximately USD 140 million from the time the project was suspended by the
new government and the time it was resumed reports Indian Express. He called for policy consistency
from Sri Lanka as China is now working with Sri Lanka to strengthen its economy
and to develop the country. He denied the current government’s claims that
China had extended commercial loans to Sri Lanka at high rates of interest
during the Rajapaksa government.