Mega project aims to transform city into global center

It is now cemented, certain and unstoppable: a development project that aims to change the face of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, and to turn the country into a commercial, financial, residential and international entertainment hub in the Indian Ocean is finally up and running.

Spread over land reclaimed from the sea, Port City Colombo is an extension of the central business district of Colombo, and those in charge of the project say they are "building a world-class city for South Asia".

The project, the largest foreign direct investment, $1.4 billion, in Sri Lanka, is jointly being developed by the Sri Lankan government and CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt Ltd of China, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company Limited.