Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday (May 18) that some provisions of the Chinese-backed Colombo Port City Economic Council Bill (the bill) are “inconsistent” with the country’s constitution. However, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court added that these provisions can be put into effect if changes are made.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan government tried to fast-track the bill through parliament. However, some provisions of the bill were opposed and at least 19 petitions were submitted to the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the bill.
At the heart of the controversy over the bill is the fear that the $1.4 billion port city could be turned into a Chinese military base or colony, according to international media reports. Chinese official media Xinhua described the Colombo port city project as a key cooperation project under the Communist Party’s “One Belt, One Road” program. The port city project is seen as a lifeline for the Sri Lankan government to save its economy, which is in desperate need of foreign investment after being hit hard by the Xin Guan (Chinese Communist virus) outbreak.
Sri Lanka is a key partner country in the Communist Party’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative. “The Belt and Road Initiative has led many countries to “lease” their ports, airports and other facilities to China because they cannot afford to repay their debts. The most typical case is the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government had to “lease” the deep-water port of Hambantota to China for 99 years in 2017 because of its inability to repay a huge loan from China.
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