China is willing to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to continue playing an active role in helping Sri Lanka address the current difficulties, ease the debt burden and achieve sustainable development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday.
Wang made the remarks in response to a question regarding China's assistance to Sri Lanka in dealing with its debt burden.
As a good neighbor and sincere friend, China pays close attention to the current difficulties and challenges facing Sri Lanka and has been providing help within the scope of its capability, said Wang.
Regarding Sri Lanka's debts related to China, Wang said China has always supported its financial institutions in negotiating with the Sri Lankan side to properly resolve the issue.
Recently, the Export-Import Bank of China (China EximBank), as a bilateral official creditor, has issued financial support documents to Sri Lanka's finance ministry, expressing a willingness to extend Sri Lanka's debt, due in 2022 and 2023 and help to ease the short-term debt repayment pressure.
The China EximBank also expressed support for Sri Lanka in applying for a loan from the International Monetary Fund and said it will help the Sri Lankan side to continue calling on commercial creditors to provide equal and comparable debt treatment and push multilateral creditors to do their best to make corresponding contributions, Wang said.
(Cover: Policemen stand guard as trade unions stage a protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka, January 20, 2023. /CFP)
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