Maya Majueran, Director of the Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL) an education and consulting platform that specializes in cultural, business and technological cooperation under the BRI says it is unfair to blame China for underperforming investments in Sri Lanka. 

According to Majueran for example the Hambantota Port’s failure is mainly because Sri Lana was lacking in areas of market power, marketing skills, tech expertise, international financing and an international cooperation network. 

The project has widely been criticized as a White Elephant by Sri Lankan experts and the public. 

Majueran said since taking over the port, China Merchant Port Holdings n 2017, it has witnessed remarkable growth, and cargo volumes at the port are also steadily on the rise. “Several manufacturing enterprises such as a USD 58 million yacht building facility by SeaHorse Yachts (Pvt) Ltd., USD 15 million plug and play park-in-park facility by Shenzhen Xinji Group, USD 300 million tyres manufacturing plant by Shandong Haohua Tire Co. Ltd. are already being set up in the Hambantota Port Industrial Park,” he added.