[Global Times reporter Bofeng Hu] According to a report from The Times of India on the 2nd, Sri Lankan government officials said that they would provide India and Japan with the Western Port of Colombo container terminal development project, as a sudden announcement of the suspension of cooperation with India and Japan at the eastern container terminal of Colombo Port. Alternatives to the agreement. According to the report, the port has important strategic significance. China is also building a container terminal project with a total investment of about 500 million US dollars at the Port of Colombo. This move by Sri Lanka shows its intention to strike a balance between its traditional allies, India and China.
Sri Lankan government spokesman Rambukovera said on the 2nd that “discussions on the western container terminal will only be conducted between Sri Lanka, India and Japan.” “In addition, the Sri Lankan cabinet decided on the 1st to allow India and Japan to hold 85% of the western container terminal. The shares-this is the same as the conditions provided by the Sri Lankan side when China participated in the construction of an international container terminal." According to the report, the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka has been aware of the latest alternative plan provided by Sri Lanka, but the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment. Sri Lanka stated that Japan has not responded to the new plan either.
According to the "Global Times" reporter, Colombo Port City is a key cooperation project between China and Sri Lanka, with a total investment of 1.4 billion U.S. dollars (approximately 9.5 billion yuan). The completion of the project will also drive secondary development of more than 13 billion U.S. dollars. The Port Authority of Sri Lanka signed a memorandum of cooperation with India and Japan in May 2019, agreeing to jointly develop the eastern container terminal project of the Port of Colombo. But in February of this year, Sri Lanka suddenly unilaterally announced that it would operate the project independently in the future. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister's Office stated at the time that the local labor unio in Sri Lanka opposed the development of the port through joint ventures. Previously, India and Japan accounted for 49% of the total shares of the project, and Sri Lanka accounted for 51%. Since then, India asked Sri Lanka to abide by the agreement to jointly develop the eastern container terminal of the Port of Colombo. The Japanese side also stated that in view of the fact that related businesses are closely related to both Japan and India, "the two countries expressed surprise at Sri Lanka's decision."
