Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka: "One Belt One Road" initiative is beneficial to developing countries
Xinhua News Agency, Colombo, September 13 (Reporter Tang Lu) In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters in Colombo, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, Gunasekra, who has just stepped down, said that the “Belt and Road” initiative will be a development that includes Sri Lanka. The country and its people will bring long-term benefits and will promote the multi-polar development of the world.
Gunasekla said that the Communist Party of Sri Lanka has always regarded China and the Communist Party of China as true friends.
He told reporters that he had visited China four times and witnessed China's development process.
He still remembers the experience of visiting Shenzhen in the 1980s. “At the time, Shenzhen was just a small fishing village with only some of the most basic facilities, but now it has become a global technology center.”
Gunasekla said that after years of hard work, China has achieved rapid economic development and Sri Lanka-China relations have reached new heights. China's massive investment in Sri Lanka's infrastructure and other livelihood projects is changing the face of Sri Lanka.
Gunasekla said that in recent years, China has actively cooperated with other countries along the “Belt and Road” construction. The transportation network that China has built to cover the main regions of the Eurasian continent will help countries along the route achieve greater prosperity and development.
He believes that the "One Belt, One Road" initiative is simultaneously promoting the world's multi-polar development and promoting the emergence of new economic centers in Africa, Latin America and Eurasia.
Gunasekla served as the general secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka from 2004 to August 2020.