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Sri Lanka begins construction on new Chinese-funded expressway

Xinhua, July 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka on Saturday launched construction work on a Chinese-funded expressway linking the southern towns of Matara and Hambantota.

President Maithripala Sirisena unveiled a plaque at the site where construction will begin in the presence of government ministers and Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang.

The expressway will be linked to the existing southern expressway which connects Colombo and Matara via the southern Galle town.

The existing Galle to Matara extension costing 180 million U.S. dollars was funded by the Exim Bank of China.

The southern expressway was to be extended to Hambantota as part of the project plan of the former government.

However the new government which took office in January this year decided to review some of the projects initiated by the former regime following allegations of corruption and lack of transparency when the deals were originally signed.

The government later decided to continue with the extension plan of the southern expressway with Chinese funding. Endi