잉글리쉬쇼핑

China's Global Image Under Strain as Sri Lanka Faces Debt Trap

• Faced with a grave financial crisis, Sri Lanka sought urgent assistance from China amounting to $2.5 billion. Chinese authorities responded Friday, weeks after Sri Lanka made the request for financial support, saying it would extend $31 million in "urgent emergency humanitarian aid."
  
  Sri Lanka has also been seeking to delay the repayment of $11 billion in Chinese loans since January 10 when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the country's capital, Colombo. China has not responded to the request.
  
  For years, China has tried to create a global image of being a dependable friend to developing countries. But Sri Lankan leaders, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, have tested that image by consistently and publicly asking for bail-out funding.
  
  Image matters a lot to China because it is trying to persuade dozens of governments to adopt its infrastructure building program, the Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing has poured more than $800 billion into BRI projects since 2013. BRI is an essential tool for China's quest to sell more goods and obtain contracts for its construction companies