‘One Belt One Road’ the way forward for Regional Prosperity – Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana

Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana, Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media, as Sri Lanka’s representative at the 29th ITS World Congress Ministerial Conference held in China in conjunction with the ‘One Belt One Road’ (OBOR) conference for international cooperation, expressed the following views.

Under the OBOR programme, many unique opportunities have been created for a number of projects for the development of construction and infrastructure in many countries.

For countries in need of infrastructure, the OBOR programme has a massive mission in improving connectivity within and between countries to invest in new railways, roads, ports and other projects.

So far, China has made a unique contribution to the country’s socio-economic development by completing a number of projects for the uplift of infrastructure such as transport, water, electricity, ports etc. in Sri Lanka. For example, the Katunayake Expressway connecting Colombo to the airport, has facilitated faster transportation of goods including agricultural products. Infrastructure development has the potential to create a high incentive for entrepreneurs to enter the market quickly and easily.

I believe that, in order to further develop the strong relationship between Sri Lanka and China, we need to go beyond infrastructure development. The OBOR concept aims to improve economic relations and human relations by further developing cooperation in fields such as education, science, technology, sports, and health. With that aim, since 2015, China has been offering more than 1,200 opportunities for scholarships, training programmes and internships to Sri Lanka every year.

Sri Lanka is striving to establish itself as an economic hub in the Indian Ocean, by enhancing its strategic position and connectivity. It is also consistent with the Maritime Silk Road as a development goal. Sri Lanka has the potential to become an economic hub in OBOR. The OBOR initiative can play a unique role in Sri Lanka’s ambition to become a leading logistics, trade and manufacturing hub in the region.

Currently, Colombo Port, Sri Lanka’s main port, is ranked 30th out of 145 international ports.

About 20 of Asia’s leading shipping companies use Colombo Port for their operations. Sri Lanka has strong supply links with other ports in South Asia and Africa. These ports conduct approximately 30% of their trade through Colombo Port. By investing more in capacity, port technology, storage and support services, there is significant potential to attract new and larger vessels that will bring more revenue to Sri Lanka.

The Colombo Port City project, which is one of the leading projects in the country under the OBOR programme, stands out. This project offers many opportunities not only for infrastructure development but also for job creation, trade facilities and technological advancement. Through this, many unique sectors of the Sri Lankan economy, including the skills and services sector, will have high benefits for development.

However, to make the OBOR concept a success, the development of physical infrastructure as well as the development of soft infrastructure, including facilitating the movement of people, goods and services across borders, is very important. I believe this move will be very effective for a stronger relationship and cooperation with Sri Lanka.

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