Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa asked China to help restructure debt repayments as part of efforts to help the South Asian country weather a worsening financial crisis, his office said in a statement on Sunday.
Rajapaksa made the request during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Colombo on Sunday.
“The president pointed out that it would be a great relief to the country if attention could be paid on restructuring the debt repayments as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Rajapaksa’s office said in the statement.
Rajapaksa also requested China to provide “concessional terms” for its exports to Sri Lanka, which amounted to about $3.5 billion in 2020, the statement said, but did not give more details. Rajapaksa also proposed allowing Chinese tourists to return to Sri Lanka provided they adhere to strict Covid restrictions, including only staying at pre-approved hotels and visiting only certain tourist attractions.—Reuters
