By Walter Jayawardhana

China criticized the London Times article that said the Hambatota harbour which China is helping Sri Lanka to build as a refueling and docking station for ChinaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s navy as distortion of facts.

China categorically called the Hambantota Port project as normal commercial activity despite how it is described ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by LondonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Murdoch owned newspaper.

“Any attempt to distort the facts would be invalid,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu in a statement issued in Beijing. He was commenting on a report by the Times of London, which said in report published ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on May 2 that China was building a port in south Sri Lanka “as a refueling and docking station for its navy.”

The spokesman said ChinaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s relationship with Sri Lanka is based on the five principles of peaceful co-existence.

He described establishing social stability , economic developmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and national reconciliation ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as fundamental Sri Lankan aspirations.

Hambantota Port project is a major development scheme started by the present governmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  with the target of improving the island nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s shiping, transshipping , ship building that would simultaneously beef up trade facilities also at Colombo.