News

China reaffirms unstinted support for Sri Lanka

Published

2 years ago

2021/03/10

China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Luo Zhaohui has re-emphasised his country’s all-round support to Colombo when he met Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Palitha Kohona last week.

Vice Minister Luo warmly welcomed the Ambassador and stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China will continue to extend its fullest support to the Ambassador in Beijing and effusively acknowledged his long standing connections with China.

The long discussion that followed included cooperation and mutual support in international fora, in economic matters, for post Covid-19 recovery, effective management of the Covid-19 pandemic and future high-level visits. Vice Minister Luo assured of China’s support to Sri Lanka at the UNHRC and its continued assistance as Sri Lanka confronts a critical economic challenge.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry will proactively support efforts to increase Chinese tourism to Sri Lanka and more businesses, including SOEs, to invest in the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Industrial Zone. The Vice Minister acknowledged that it was time for these two Chinese supported ventures to get off the ground. Both parties agreed that the recommencement of negotiations on the bilateral Free Trade Agreement with the view to concluding it soon would be advantageous to Sri Lanka. Dr. Kohona also raised the issue of non-tariff barriers which are hindering access to the lucrative Chinese market for a range of natural, agricultural and industrial products.

Dr. Kohona commended China for successfully eliminating extreme poverty by 2020 consistent with a key SDG and congratulated the Communist Party of China as it celebrated its 100th year Anniversary. China’s spectacular success could be attributed to the prudent management of the country by the Party.

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Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

16 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”