On July 9, local time, Sri Lanka capital Colombo , a large number of protesters gathered near the Presidential Palace. The scene was chaotic. The police sprayed tear gas to disperse the protesting crowd. Picture/IC photo
Cover News Reporter Lai Fangjie Intern Dai Jianglan
On July 9, local time, large-scale protests broke out in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. For nearly two months, the Indian Ocean island nation of 22 million people has been facing severe foreign exchange shortages and restrictions on basic imports of fuel, food and medicine, plunging it into its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.
As the situation escalates, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka reminds Chinese citizens in Sri Lanka to strengthen safety precautions. What practical difficulties are Chinese-funded enterprises in Sri Lanka currently facing? What plans are there for future situations? On July 10, Cover News reporters conducted interviews with representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises.
China’s first batch of emergency food aid arrived in Sri Lanka. According to the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka
, material shortages have been present for more than two months.
Grain is being sought for transportation from the country.
"We are now facing difficulties in various material shortages for more than two months." Cai Yue, representative of Chinese-funded enterprises ( (pseudonym) introduced via voice call that the civil unrest in Sri Lanka began in April, and negative reactions followed one after another. Currently, there is a very short supply of production and living materials.
Taking daily necessities as an example, water is still in normal supply and vegetables can still be eaten. But power supply is very difficult, and rice is out of stock. Although the company has some emergency reserves, it is trying to find ways to transport grain from China.
As for production materials, the shortage of diesel is very troublesome. Cai Yue said that under normal circumstances, the company's local diesel consumption needs more than 20,000 liters a day, and the emergency reserve can support about five days. But in recent weeks, there is now a severe shortage of diesel as Sri Lanka stopped receiving fuel shipments. Companies can only look for oil everywhere and patch things together to ensure production.
"The company requires employees not to go out and stay in the employee apartment as much as possible. Everyone is in a good mood and has smooth contact with relatives and friends in China." Cai Yue said that the company has also outsourced and hired more than a thousand Sri Lankan employees locally. In order to ensure their safety, more than a dozen dedicated commuter lines and special buses have been opened.
Regarding the future situation, Cai Yue said that it is not clear yet, but he believes that it may worsen further. "If it deteriorates seriously, we will choose to retreat." Cai Yue said.
China’s first batch of emergency food aid arrived in Sri Lanka. According to the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka
Inflation rate hits a record and people’s lives are difficult
China assists 1.1 million students in Sri Lanka with 10,000 tons of rice
Analysts pointed out that the crux of Sri Lanka’s current economic problems is the extreme lack of foreign exchange reserves, and The trigger was the epidemic. Foreign exchange income from tourism disappeared, and foreign exchange reserves dropped by 80% within a year.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said on the 6th, “According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World assessment report, approximately 6.26 million Sri Lankans face record food price inflation, soaring fuel costs and commodity shortages. , that is, 30% of households in the country do not have enough to eat. "Currently, Sri Lanka's soaring inflation rate reached a record high of 54.6% in June and is expected to reach 70% in the next few months, which is causing difficulties for the people.
cover news learned from the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka that China has promised to provide food assistance to Sri Lanka totaling 10,000 tons of rice, and will provide student meal support for 1.1 million students in 9 provinces, 7,900 schools across the country for up to six months. On June 28, China’s first batch of emergency humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka (1,000 tons of rice) arrived in Colombo.
The food aided by China will provide 1.1 million Sri Lankan students with student meal support for half a year.According to the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka
At the same time, 510,000 enoxaparin sodium injection from China to aid Sri Lanka has also arrived. In the next few months, China will continue to provide Sri Lanka with rabies vaccine including There is a shortage of medicines and medical supplies, and each type of product will be enough for Sri Lanka for 12 months.
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