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‘SL has not surrendered sovereignty to China’: Govt. responds to US aid condition

03 Jan 2021

Sri Lanka has not surrendered its sovereignty to China, the Sri Lankan Government stated in response to a condition in the US Coronavirus Relief and Spending Package Bill. Commenting on the condition that funding will be made available to Sri Lanka only if the Government asserts its sovereignty against influence by China, Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage said: “Sri Lanka has not surrendered its sovereignty to any country; not to China or even to India. We are very mindful about our sovereignty. I don’t think any country needs to tell us that specifically, because we have no intention of surrendering sovereignty.” He told The Sunday Morning that he saw reports on the condition but could not make an informed comment without studying it properly. “I’m not in a position to give a comment because I haven’t really studied it and I don’t know what’s exactly in it. Also, we haven’t got any official information through any channel yet,” he said.    However, he also said that if the US has made this condition, it was their prerogative.   The Coronavirus Relief and Spending Package Bill worth $ 900 billion was signed into law by US President Donald Trump on 27 December and intends to provide foreign aid to 31 countries including Sri Lanka. However, the funding comes with conditions. According to the Bill, assistance for Sri Lanka may be made available only if the Secretary of State certifies and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government is taking effective and consistent steps in certain areas. Sri Lanka asserting its sovereignty against influence by the People’s Republic of China is one condition. The Sri Lankan Government is also required to take effective and consistent steps to respect and uphold the rights and freedoms of all Sri Lankans, regardless of ethnicity and religious belief, including by investigating violations of human rights and holding perpetrators of such violations accountable, and increasing transparency and accountability in governance. When contacted for comment, the US Embassy in Colombo said more time was required to respond due to the holidays.  


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