Where are the cows in this port of Sri Lanka?

Hambantota Port, located at the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka, has ushered in new development opportunities under the "Belt and Road Initiative". China China Merchants Port Holdings Co., Ltd. and Sri Lankan Port Authority signed the Regulations on the Franchise of Hangang Port in Colombo on the 29th, which is another significant achievement of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

This port is really unusual.

Located at the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka, Hambantota Port is a key area for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Sri Lanka under the framework of "265438+20th Century Maritime Silk Road".

From the map of the world, Hambantota Port is close to the route from Asia to Africa. As an important shipping hub connecting South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and East Africa, this port has high hopes from the world shipping center.

Mahinda samarasinghe, Minister of Port Transportation of Sri Lanka, said recently that China and Sri Lanka had a long discussion on how to operate Hambantota Port, and the final agreement reached took all aspects into consideration, which was a win-win result for China and Sri Lanka.

For Sri Lanka, after full operation, by 2020, the port revenue will account for 40% of the Sri Lankan government revenue and create 654.38+00,000 direct and more than 60,000 indirect employment opportunities.

Bai, managing director of China Merchants Port Holdings Limited, said that the company will get immediate returns by developing bulk cargo, containers and oil and gas terminals.

In addition, although Hangang is located in Sri Lanka, its main market hinterland is not Sri Lanka, but Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and the Indian subcontinent. In the long run, the company will make full use of the market opportunity of insufficient production capacity of ports in the Indian subcontinent and East Africa, and start to develop the transshipment business of bulk cargo, containers, ro-ro ships (automobiles), oil and gas and other goods in the Indian subcontinent and East Africa, and turn Hangang into a regional hub port.

At the beginning of this year, in order to celebrate the second anniversary of President Sirisena's inauguration, the Sri Lankan government had hoped to sign a Sino-Sri Lankan port operation agreement with China in June+10 this year. However, the signing of the agreement at that time was postponed because it failed to meet the requirements of the Sri Lankan Port Authority, and there were different voices within the Sri Lankan government on the validity of the agreement and the distribution of Sino-Sri Lankan equity.

In order to promote the early signing of the agreement, China actively communicated with Sri Lanka. China's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that he had held more than 30 meetings with Sri Lankan President and Prime Minister in the past few months in order to clarify China's position to the Sri Lankan government, promote pragmatic cooperation between China and Sri Lanka and create the most favorable conditions for China enterprises to invest in Sri Lanka.

According to this regulation, China and Sri Lanka will set up two joint ventures-Hambantota International Port Group Co., Ltd. and Hambantota International Port Co., Ltd. to be responsible for the commercial management and administrative operation of Hambantota Port.

China China Merchants Port Holdings Limited will hold 85% and 49.3% of the shares of these two companies respectively, and the Sri Lankan Port Authority will hold 65,438+05% and 50.7% of the shares respectively. The total share of China capital in these two joint ventures will reach 70%. The agreement is valid for 99 years. After 10 years, the two parties will gradually adjust their shareholding ratio, and finally adjust it to 50% each.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Wickremasinghe said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the industrial park in June+10 this year that China's investment in Hambantota would pave the way for Sri Lanka to become a developed country. For the Sri Lankan government, especially the people of Hambantota, the Sino-Sri Lankan Industrial Park will become the most important economic measure of the Sri Lankan government.

This port is a key area for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Sri Lanka under the framework of "2 1 Century Maritime Silk Road".