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China’s Xi warns West against economic ‘decoupling’
Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned Western states against “decoupling” from his country’s economy, insisting amid declining foreign investment that China’s development should be viewed as not a threat but an asset.
Xi’s caution came as he opened the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing on Wednesday. He also used his speech to laud the scheme, which was launched 10 years ago with the professed aim of building infrastructure and energy networks to link Asia, Africa and Europe.
“We stand against unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, decoupling, and supply chain disruption,” Xi said, hitting back at perceived Western efforts to hamper China’s growth.
“Viewing others’ development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one’s own life better or speed up one’s development,” he added. “China can only do well when the world is doing well… When China does well, the world will get even better.”
As part of China’s efforts to attract more foreign investment, one measure of which hit a 25 year low earlier this year, Xi also pledged to ease investment restrictions and facilitate better trade ties. “We will comprehensively remove restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector,” while opening up “cross-border trade and investment in services and expand market access for digital products,” Xi said.
He added that China plans reforms for state-owned companies, as well as the digital economy, intellectual property rights, and government procurement.
At the same time, China will continue to pour billions of dollars into the economies of developing countries as it builds on the BRI, the Chinese president pledged.
Leaders and representatives of over 130 countries are attending the forum, which celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Xi’s ambitious scheme, which he has called the “project of the century.”
Prominent guests include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.
Xi met with Putin, whom he calls a “dear friend,” before the forum, and reaffirmed their strong partnership.
“The political mutual trust between the two countries is continuously deepening,” Xi said, according to the state news agency Xinhua, hailing their “close and effective strategic coordination”.
European leaders largely stayed away from the event, with Hungary’s nationalist-populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban the sole European Union head of state in attendance.
Western leaders have come to view China’s BRI with suspicion seeing it as a tool to amplify Beijing’s global influence and reach. Many Western countries are seeking to diversify supply chains to reduce reliance on China, which is the world’s second-largest economy.
Going forward, Xi said the Belt and Road Initiative would move towards addressing issues of artificial intelligence and climate change, including through intensified cooperation in “green infrastructure, energy, and transportation”.
The Chinese president added that the BRI has put it on the right side of history, according to China’s Xinhua state news agency. “It represents the advancing of our times, and it is the right path forward.”
(Aljazeera)
A discussion with the Catholic Council was held on Thursday (21) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat under the co-chairmanship of Minister of Science and Technology, Chrishantha Abeysena and Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
Discussions focused on administrative issues relating to Catholic schools taken over by the Government, the formulation of a structured teacher cadre system for Catholic religious education, the need to recruit Catholic nuns and priests into the teaching profession and the establishment of a mechanism to obtain the support of the Ministry of Education for the administration of Government-acquired Catholic schools.
It was also decided that discussions with the Catholic Council would be held three times annually, while Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage would serve as Secretary to the forum.
Expressing appreciation on behalf of the Catholic Council, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith thanked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Government for facilitating the discussion.
His Eminence further stated that the expectation was to ensure every student, without discrimination, is given the opportunity to learn his or her own religion and stressed the importance of resolving the prevailing issues within the education sector.
Also present at the occasion were Most Rev. Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Most Rev. Bishop Christy Noel Emmanuel, Most Rev. Bishop Anton Ranjith, Most Rev. Bishop Wimal Siri Jayasuriya, other clergy representing the Catholic Council, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nalaka Kaluwewa and senior officials of the Ministry of Education.
(PMD)
Italian Navy’s ITS GIOVANNI DELLE BANDE NERE, which arrived in Colombo (21 May 2026) on a replenishment visit, departed the island today (22 May).
The Sri Lanka Navy bade a customary farewell to the departing ship in compliance with naval traditions at the port of Colombo.
During her brief stay in Colombo, the Commanding Officer of the ship, Commander Antonio BUFIS called on the Commander Western Naval Area at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.
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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
The National Building Research Institute [NBRI] has issued Landslide Early Warnings to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura valid upto 0900 AM on 23rd May 2026.
Accordingly,
LEVEL I [RED] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Deraniyagala, Ruwanwella and Dehiowita in the Kegalle district and Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kuruwita and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL II [AMBER] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colombo district, Attanagalla in the Gampaha district, Horana, Bulathsinhala, Ingiriya and Palindanuwara in the Kalutara district, Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district and Pelmadulla, Kiriella, Elapatha, Kalawana and Nivithigala in the Rathnapura district.
LEVEL I [YELLOW] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Mirigama and Divulapitiya in the Gampaha district, Agalawatta and Mathugama in the Kalutara district, Bulathkohupitiya in the Kegalle district and Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district.
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