Progressive forces in Sri Lanka need to unite to create a campaign to counterbalance anti-China propaganda by imperialist forces, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) leader Prof. Tissa Vitharana said during a recent discussion on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Speaking at the event organised by the Asia Progress Forum, a think-tank affiliated with the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL), Prof. Vithanara said China had become a superpower without resorting to imperialism.
“However, there is a lot of propaganda against China. Despite local and international scholars proving that there is no such thing as a ‘Chinese debt trap,’ those loyal to the west peddle this lie in Sri Lanka. The progressive forces in the country must unite to counter these lies. The government must also take steps to counterbalance these claims,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Samitha Hettige who also addressed the meeting, said Sri Lanka has been irresponsible with loans it has taken from all parties, and given that Sri Lanka has borrowed a lot of money from private lenders, the country must spend such funds on productive endeavours.
“The BRI has opened doors for a lot of investments. We have to take advantage of this transparently,” he said.
Meanwhile, engineer and former chairman of the Ceylon German Technical Training Institute, Vinod Moonesingha said that Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with China and India could attract investors from both countries to Sri Lanka.
“Hambantota can be built as an industrial centre with FTAs with these two major economic superpowers. Chinese will come to Sri Lanka and produce things for the Indian market, and vice versa,” he said.