Sri Lanka hands port formally to Chinese firm
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka formally handed over commercial activities in its main southern port to a Chinese company on Saturday and received $292 million out of a $1.12 billion deal, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said.
The deal, signed in July, will see China Merchants Port Holdings, handling the Chinese-built Hambantota port on a 99-year lease. The port is near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe and likely to play a major role in China's "Belt and Road" initiative.
"Today we received $292 million as the first…