Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Dinesh Gunwardena rejected the notion that his government was caught in a Chinese ‘debt trap’ and instead praised Beijing for standing by Colombo “to overcome terrorism”.
“Sri Lanka, as I mentioned, has always respected, trusted, and committed to development with China. China’s help, and assistance have been for our development,” he told Chinese media last month.
“When we were in difficulty, China helped us. When our territorial integrity was being threatened, our unitary state was about to be dispersed, China stood by Sri Lanka to overcome terrorism and to hold the unitary state for all of our countrymen today.”
“China helped us as the first country to give the strongest support along with all of our friendly countries and institutions,” he continued. “Since then, the Sri Lankan economy has picked up from minus.”
Full Video: Exclusive Interview with Hon. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena (English version) #ChinaSriLankaFriendship #PrimeMinister #Interview pic.twitter.com/j8jqcxYUIh
— Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) April 25, 2024
Gunawardena went on to praise China as “a great nation of the world,” and said Sri Lanka has much to learn from China’s path to prosperity. “We understand China's path,” he claimed.
During his last visit, Gunawardena said China had offered to “assist Sri Lanka debt restructuring” while “extending assistance to develop Katunayake International Airport, Hambantota Sea Port, and the Port City in Colombo.
China remains Sri Lanka's biggest two-way lender, with its companies building highways, seaports and airports and other infrastructure on the island.
