November 22, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Sri Lanka to seek Qatari investment. Image Credit - philipus / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Sri Lanka seeks investments from Qatar
The Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, Rauff Hakeem, has expressed Sri Lanka’s interest in Qatari investment, in the tourism, energy and health sectors, at a business and investment forum in Doha.
Minister Hakeem also stated that Sri Lanka hopes to import liquefied natural gas from Qatar, under the government’s policy to use cleaner energy. Further discussions are to be carried out during President Sirisena’s planned state visit to Qatar in 2017.
EU urges Sri Lanka to engage in trade
Ambassador and Delegation Head of the EU for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Tung-Lai Margue, has stated that Sri Lanka requires a private sector-led model of economic growth, and urged the government to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve this goal.
The Ambassador also noted the mutual benefits of trade, and highlighted that the EU fisheries ban on Sri Lanka had facilitated better management of the country’s fisheries industry.
Seminar on Sri Lanka-Malaysia trade to be held
The National Chamber of Commerce will host a seminar on ‘Bilateral Trade between Sri Lanka and Malaysia’ on 24 November. The Malaysian High Commissioner, Wan Zeidi Wan Adullah, will be the Guest Speaker, and is expected to discuss business trends as well as trade and investment opportunities in Malaysia.
Trade relations between Sri Lanka and Malaysia have increased in recent years. Potential areas for investment in the two countries include the textile, automobile, agricultural, IT, ceramic and tourism industries.
Trump to quit TPP on first day in office
US President-elect Donald Trump has released a video statement, pledging to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in office. The President-elect also outlined a plan for his first 100 days in office, including cancelling restrictions on US coal production.
Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, stated that the ‘TPP would be meaningless without the United States’.
Japanese peacekeepers arrive in South Sudan
A contingent of 350 Japanese soldiers have arrived in South Sudan on Monday, as part of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).The new troops have been authorised to use force to protect UN bases and aid workers, and will be responsible for engineering and construction in Juba.
Over 12,000 UN peacekeepers are currently present in South Sudan. The peacekeepers have recently faced criticism for failing to protect civilians from the ethnically motivated violence in the country.
President Duterte prohibits fishing in China-controlled waters
The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has declared a ban on fishing in the Chinese-controlled waters of the Scarborough Shoal. President Duterte further stated that the lagoon will be turned into a marine sanctuary.
These plans were discussed with Chinese President, Xi Jingping, at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Peru. President Xi is yet to issue a comment on President Duterte’s proposals.
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