Beijing stands firm with crisis-hit Sri Lanka

China will stand with Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries to overcome difficulties, be it a natural disaster, financial crisis, or the COVID-19 epidemic, as the country has always done, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Zhao said neighboring countries, including those in South Asia, remain a priority of China's diplomacy, and China has been dedicated to further developing friendships with them.

He made the remarks after Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in an interview on Monday that China appears to be shifting its strategic focus toward Southeast Asia and Africa, and South Asian countries in financial trouble are not getting the same attention from Beijing as before.

"China and South Asian countries are friendly neighbors with a shared future," said Zhao, noting that China has been closely following the difficulties and challenges faced by Sri Lanka and has been providing assistance for the country's economic and social development to the best of its abilities.

The spokesman said the Chinese government has announced that it would provide emergency humanitarian assistance worth 500 million yuan ($74.74 million) to Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the country's most severe economic crisis, featuring shortages of foreign reserves, fuel and other essential supplies.

On June 3, the first batch of emergency humanitarian medicine aid from China arrived at Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport. And the first batch of rice has been shipped, Zhao said.

Diversified assistance

"The Chinese side has also provided diversified assistance to help improve the livelihoods in Sri Lanka through multiple channels, including local governments and friendly organizations," he said.

As for financial cooperation between the two countries, Zhao said that since the Sri Lankan government announced that it would suspend foreign debt payments, Chinese financial institutions immediately discussed with the Sri Lankan side how to properly deal with debts and expressed the willingness to help the country get through current difficulties.

"We also hope Sri Lanka will work actively with China to discuss the appropriate settlement," he said, adding that China believes Sri Lanka will also make independent efforts to protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors to uphold the stability and credibility of its financing and business environment.

China stands ready to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to continuously help Sri Lanka in dealing with the current difficulties and easing its debt burden to achieve sustainable development, Zhao said.