Forged debt restructuring letter : China issues clarification

January 25, 2023 at 10:56 AM

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka says a letter using the embassy’s official letterhead addressed to Sri Lanka’s President and Finance Minister on debt restructuring is false. 

The said letter which has been circulated on social media says China will not be able to amortise the outstanding debt and is instead ready to relax the repayment schedule by offering a 5-year moratorium on bilateral and commercial loan repayments.

Refuting the letter, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka stated that the letter circulating on social media, under its official letterhead and written to Sri Lankan President and Financial Minister, is completely forged. 

The Embassy further called on the public to only follow the official sources of information.

The fake letter comes at a time when Sri Lanka is in the midst of talks for debt restructuring with its international creditors in a bid to obtain financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund. (NewsWire)