Sri Lankan experts call for more awareness about tangible benefits from "game-changing" Chinese investment
Sri Lankan experts have said that more work needs to be done to raise awareness about the tangible benefits from the "game-changing" Chinese investment like that in Colombo Port City.
At a recent meeting between Sri Lankan experts and representatives of China Communication Construction Company (CCCC), the parent company of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), Sri Lankan experts commended the company's contributions to Sri Lanka's development while calling upon both Sri Lanka and China to counter irresponsible remarks made by global actors.
Dinusha Panditharatne, former executive director of a foreign policy think-tank Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, noted that a social responsibility report recently published by Port City Colombo is important in countering the irresponsibility remarks made by global actors.
These irresponsible remarks have been driven primarily by global actors and competitors who find it difficult to accept the rise of China, Pandithratne said.
She said that local think-tanks and researchers would have to work to address these misconceptions and promote how exceptional Chinese investments can be.
"When Colombo Port City is completed, it may have schools, museums, art galleries and sporting facilities. These will enrich the social and cultural life of Sri Lanka," she said.
Luxman Siriwardena, the executive director of the think-tank Pathfinder Foundation, noted that successful completion of the Port City project would be a game-changer for the Sri Lankan economy and a boon to the future generations.
The Port City will have a tremendous transformational impact on macro economy, and it is necessary to promote this project in detail to the youth, including school leavers and university students, Siriwardena said
Samitha Hettige, an expert on the Belt and Road Initiative's impacts on Sri Lanka, said that historic ties between China and Sri Lanka should be revisited and studied.
Colombo Port City is a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Once completed, it will be a world class city in South Asia.
The first phase of the project was completed last year.