Lanka must be mindful of ties: India on Chinese funding of port city

(This story originally appeared in on Jun 18, 2021)

With concerns mounting over China’s funding of the Colombo Port City project, India said on Thursday it expected Sri Lanka to remain mindful of bilateral cooperation with India.

“We have also noted the concerns that have been raised in Sri Lanka regarding …the Colombo Port City. We expect Sri Lanka will remain mindful of our excellent bilateral cooperation, including mutual security in our shared environment, which includes the maritime domain,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

He said India had an extensive portfolio of partnership development projects in Sri Lanka and was in contact with Lankan authorities. The Sri Lankan parliament recently approved the controversial $1.4-billion Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, with the government saying the project would bring in investment.