Colombo: Sri Lanka`s cabinet cleared a revised agreement for its Chinese-built southern port of Hambantota on Tuesday, the government said, after terms of the first pact sparked widespread public anger in the island nation.
The port, close to the world`s busiest shipping lanes, has been mired in controversy ever since state-run China Merchants Port Holdings, which built it for USD 1.5 billion, signed an agreement taking an 80 percent stake.
The latest agreement relates to the port while the pact for the industrial zone will be handled separately, Sri Lankan officials said.
Two Sri Lankan sources familiar with the deal said the Sri Lankan Ports Authority would have the right to inspect ships entering Hambantota.
"Sri Lanka will have control over port activities including security, which various parties have raised concerns over earlier," one source told Reuters. "The agreement clearly says no military ships will be allowed in the port."
New Delhi in 2014 was alarmed when a Chinese submarine docked in Colombo, where another Chinese firm is building a USD 1.4 billion port city on reclaimed land.
India has long considered Sri Lanka, just off its southern coast, as within its sphere of influence and sought to push back against China`s expanding maritime presence. In May, Sri Lanka turned down a Chinese request to dock a submarine.
The port, close to the world`s busiest shipping lanes, has been mired in controversy ever since state-run China Merchants Port Holdings, which built it for USD 1.5 billion, signed an agreement taking an 80 percent stake.
The latest agreement relates to the port while the pact for the industrial zone will be handled separately, Sri Lankan officials said.
Two Sri Lankan sources familiar with the deal said the Sri Lankan Ports Authority would have the right to inspect ships entering Hambantota.
"Sri Lanka will have control over port activities including security, which various parties have raised concerns over earlier," one source told Reuters. "The agreement clearly says no military ships will be allowed in the port."
New Delhi in 2014 was alarmed when a Chinese submarine docked in Colombo, where another Chinese firm is building a USD 1.4 billion port city on reclaimed land.
India has long considered Sri Lanka, just off its southern coast, as within its sphere of influence and sought to push back against China`s expanding maritime presence. In May, Sri Lanka turned down a Chinese request to dock a submarine.
Source:-Zeenews
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