Sri Lanka port only 'normal business'

By Wang Linyan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-13 08:31

China's investment in a Sri Lankan port is "normal commercial activity," the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, refuting a claim it was a military project.

"Any distortion of facts would be invalid," ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told a news briefing.

Ma was commenting on a report in The Times on May 2, saying the Hambantota port in south Sri Lanka will be used as "a refueling and docking station for the Chinese navy".

Analysts said the Western media's report slanders China.

The 15-year port project, funded by China, began in 2007, according to Xinhua.

"It's an aid project meant to help improve Sri Lanka's shipping and transportation," said Fu Xiaoqiang, a senior researcher on South Asian studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

"It's just normal business activity, like China's projects in Gwadar in Pakistan, Chittagong in Bangladesh and Sittwe in Myanmar," Fu said.

Sri Lanka's army is poised to end the Tamil Tigers' three-decade armed rebellion to carve out a separate homeland for the minority Tamils.

More than 70,000 have died in the conflict.

"Maintaining social stability and economic growth and achieving ethnic reconciliation is the common aspiration of the people of Sri Lanka and is in their best interests," Ma said, adding that China sincerely hopes Sri Lanka can realize the goal as soon as possible.

China has decided to offer the Sri Lankan government $1 million in cash as urgent humanitarian assistance to settle displaced civilians in north Sri Lanka.

"We will continue to follow the situation in the country and offer assistance as we can," Ma said.