A Chinese delegation headed by Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kong Xuanyou is reported to have held five hours of discussions with the Sri Lankan authorities on the entire gamut of bilateral relations. The delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday in the wake of some of the proposed Chinese investments in the country hitting a snag amid public protests and legal action.
The Government has sought to hand over an 80 per cent stake in the Hambantota Port to a Chinese company known as ‘China Merchants’ on a debt to equity swap.
However, the project ran into turmoil after public protests against the move to acquire 15,000 acres of land for investments integrated with the port development project. It has also been challenged in the Supreme Court. Mr. Xuanyou met Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera.
The Chinese delegation comprises officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy including Ambassador Yi Xianliang. Meanwhile, a high profile Chinese delegation is to visit Sri Lanka this year. Earlier, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe invited his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang to visit Sri Lanka.