China-funded projects in Sri Lanka create 100,000 jobs

COLOMBO - China-funded projects in Sri Lanka have created at least 100,000 direct job opportunities for the locals within the past five years, Chen Chuan, spokesperson of China Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (CCCSL), said on Thursday.

Chen told journalists here that 90 percent of the workers in China-funded projects were Sri Lankans and through these jobs, many youth have been trained to master new technologies which not only benefits them but also Sri Lanka's future development.

"For example, the famous A9 road construction in the north hired 4,500 Sri Lankan staff including 2,800 Tamils. There were only around 50 Chinese technicians working on the project, which accounted for only 1.5-2 percent of the total," Chen said.