Hu Wei, Chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has said that at a time Sri Lanka is faced with two “arduous tasks” of combating the COVID-19 epidemic and reviving the economy, Chinese banks and other enterprises are providing strong support for the country’s economic recovery via financial, investment and other channels.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Financial Times on the COVID-19 pandemic and the current situation in both China and Sri Lanka, the acting Ambassador said for many years, China has been providing assistance to support Sri Lanka’s development drive, not only in aid and concessional loans, but also with free training and direct investment.

He recalled that iconic landmarks like the BMICH, the Supreme Court Complex, and Nelum Pokuna Theatre as well as some ongoing construction mega-projects like the National Nephrology Specialist Hospital and the new OPD for the National Hospital are all gifts and fully financed by China.

Speaking of the development assistance support in the pipeline for Sri Lanka post-COVID-19, the envoy said currently, China is working on over 2,000 houses for Sri Lanka’s low-income families, which is to be commissioned later this year.

“Besides this, at this difficult time when Sri Lanka is faced with two arduous tasks of combating the epidemic and reviving the economy, a huge number of medical supplies including most needed testing kits, personal protective equipment, masks donated by China are constantly coming to the island,” he said.

Hu Wei added that the Chinese banks and other enterprises are also providing strong support for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery via financial, investment and other channels.

Regarding the China-Sri Lanka relations, the acting Ambassador quoting the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent phone conversation with the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said “the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Sri Lanka is based on sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship.”

“The time-tested friendship and mutual trust between the two countries will grow stronger through the joint effort to contain COVID-19 pandemic".

“After witnessing many heart-warming stories of Chinese and Sri Lankan people working side by side to combat COVID-19, I am even more confident of a brighter future for China-Sri Lanka relations. And I believe that the Sri Lankan people have also recognized China as a true friend and a country to rely on in times of difficulty,” the Chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy said.

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