Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

China Observes But Doesn’t Participate in Sri Lanka’s Inaugural Debt Meeting

A vendor holds Sri Lankan bank notes while working at a market in Colombo on March 20, 2023. Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is seeking a 10-year moratorium on its foreign debt repayments. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

Sri Lanka’s major bilateral creditors convened their first meeting on Tuesday, but the country’s largest bilateral lender, China, was in the room but only as an observer.

“If China decides to participate, we would welcome it,” Masato Kanda, Japan’s vice minister of finance for international affairs, said at a briefing late Tuesday in Tokyo. “We will continue to call on China to formally participate in the creditor countries’ meeting,” he said.

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.