UNP opposes China’s $1.4 billion port project

Sri Lanka’s opposition accused China of destroying the island’s pristine beaches and warned Beijing its $1.4 billion port investment could be in jeopardy if they returned to power.

Former prime minister and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said his party would take a fresh look at “haphazard reclamation” of land near Colombo harbour for a new port city.

He said that if you build the port city, the (western) coast (of Sri Lanka) will be completely destroyed.

He accused the project of going ahead without any regard for environmental damage it causes to the coastline where hundreds of luxury tourist hotels are located.

Chinese President Xi Jinping during a brief visit to Sri Lanka in September launched construction of the $1.4 billion port city that will give Beijing a firmer foothold in the Indian Ocean region.

Wickremesinghe made it clear that the opposition would “take a fresh look at the development project” if they were returned to power in the January 8 presidential election.

Colombo Port City, Sri Lanka’s largest single foreign investment, is being built alongside an already existing Chinese-built container terminal, the only mega port in South Asia.

(Source- customstoday)