Ever since the contaminated consignment of Chinese fertiliser came into the limelight in Sri Lanka; various ministers and MPs have continued to make contrasting opinions on the matter leading to much disarray and confusion and as of recent; the statements have become more and more contrasting and frequent.
A batch of contaminated fertiliser sent from China appears to be the centre of a heated diplomatic row between Sri Lanka and China at the moment.
As per Sri Lanka Plant Protection Ordinance, no product should contain microbes; but as per tests and analysis carried on the Chinese samples, a bulk permit cannot be allowed as both tests carried out on the samples showed the batch is contaminated with harmful microbes.
A batch of contaminated fertiliser sent from China appears to be the centre of a heated diplomatic row between Sri Lanka and China at the moment.
As per Sri Lanka Plant Protection Ordinance, no product should contain microbes; but as per tests and analysis carried on the Chinese samples, a bulk permit cannot be allowed as both tests carried out on the samples showed the batch is contaminated with harmful microbes.
April 22, 2021 last updated 15:29 ET Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in white, walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping after officially launching the Colombo Port City development, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sept. 17, 2014 (AP photo by Eranga Jayawardena).
Another Chinese Megaproject Causes Controversy in Sri Lanka
China has undertaken countless infrastructure projects across the globe as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, but the plan to transform the iconic waterfront of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, was so consequential, so massive, that Chinese President Xi Jinping personally attended the 2014 launch. From the start, the plan sparked fierce public protests, but it moved forward. Now, the $1.4 billion Colombo Port City development has run into legal headwinds, once again making Sri Lanka one of the principal case studies of China’s effort to gain a strategic foothold in developing countries across the globe.