Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa publicly refuted the claim that China had set up a debt trap to control Sri Lanka, said China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday (13).

At the Regular Press Conference Zhao said China has made great contributions to Sri Lanka’s infrastructure construction and development.

He added Sri Lanka is willing to make every effort to promote the joint construction of the key cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the comprehensive development of Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port, so as to raise mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries to a higher level and better benefit the people of the two countries.

Zhao went on to note no Belt and Road partner has fallen into any so-called debt trap because of its cooperation with the BRI adding on the contrary, many partners have spoken highly of the BRI.