Chinese Vice Premier opens visit to Sri Lanka

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Chinese Vice Premier opens visit to Sri Lanka

Friday, 11 June 2010

Colombo - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang opened a three- day official visit to Sri Lanka where the two countries are seeking to enhance economic cooperation, officials said Friday.

Dejiang, who arrived Thursday night, will meet with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other officials during his visit.

China is expected to offer Sri Lanka a loan of 200 million US dollars to build a second international airport in the southern part of the country and 100 million dollars to upgrade the Sri Lankan railway network.

Rajapaksa, who was on a three-day official visit to India, is due to arrive home Friday.

During his visit, India agreed to provide a 1-billion-dollar loan for infrastructure development projects, mainly in areas in the northern part of the country that were affected by the fighting between government troops and Tamil rebels. Of the Indian pledge, 800 million dollars was toward the railway network mainly in northern Sri Lanka, where all tracks were destroyed during the 26-year conflict.

Both India and China backed Sri Lanka in its efforts to crush the Tamil rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The civil war was brought to an end in May 2009 after rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed.

Chinese Vice Premier opens visit to Sri Lanka | Earth Times News

 

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Sri Lanka to sign trade deals with China: official

June 11, 2010 (AFP) - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang will hold talks with Sri Lanka's president at the weekend and sign several trade and economic deals, the island's foreign ministry said Friday.

Zhang arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday accompanied by a 30-member delegation and was moving to strengthen bilateral cooperation during their three-day visit, the ministry said.

"Sri Lanka and China will sign a number of agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) relating to the fields of information technology, maritime ports, economic and technical cooperation," the ministry said without giving details.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with China, a key supplier of small arms to the island's armed forces during the height of fighting between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.

Government forces crushed the rebels in May last year and Sri Lanka has publicly thanked China for its generous military support. Colombo has been buying naval craft, jet aircraft as well as tanks and small weapons from China.

China is also building a port in the south of the island and is involved in constructing highways, power stations and petroleum storage tanks.

Sri Lanka to sign trade deals with China: official - LANKA BUSINESS ONLINE