China Grants $90 Million to Sri Lanka Two Days After Prez Seeks to Dispel ‘Debt-trap’ Notion

China announced on Sunday that it was providing a $ 90 million grant to Sri Lanka, two days after the island nation’s president sought help from a visiting Chinese delegation in disproving a perception that China-funded megaprojects are “debt traps.” Calling the financial assistance a “timely grant,” the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said that it would be used for medical care, education and water supplies in Sri Lanka’s rural areas and that it would contribute to the well-being of (Sri Lankans) in a post-COVID era. The announcement follows a visit to the Indian Ocean island nation Friday by a Chinese delegation led by Yang Jiechi, a Communist Party Politburo member and a former foreign minister. During talks with Yang, Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa asked China to help him in disproving a perception that China-funded megaprojects are debt traps aimed at gaining influence in local affairs.

China considers Sri Lanka to be a critical link in its massive Belt and Road global infrastructure building initiative and has provided billions of dollars in loans for Sri Lankan projects over the past decade. The projects include a seaport, airport, port-city, highways and power stations. Critics say that the Chinese-funded projects are not financially viable and that Sri Lanka will face difficulties in repaying the loans.