A Chinese firm has signed a deal with Sri Lanka to build a $1.4bn port complex near Colombo.
AFP reported that the state-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will reclaim 230 hectares of land next to the new Colombo South port, said SLPA chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrama.
China’s Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) will invest $1.43 billion to build a "Port City".
"We are moving towards the sea to reclaim land and build a mini city,
"We have finalised the deal with CCCC and construction will begin by September. We hope to complete the land reclamation within 39 months," Wickrama said.
"For us, it is purely a commercial interest to develop our ports. We will not allow any military base at our ports nor will we allow them to be used for any strategic military purpose," he added.