SL Debt: All eyes are on China & what they have offered is not enough, says Nuland

COLOMBO (News 1st);  US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday (1) that the United States wants to see an IMF agreement for Sri Lanka as soon as possible.

She told reporters in Colombo that the United States and the Paris Club are doing their part to see an IMF agreement for Sri Lanka come through, however, added that what China has offered in terms of debt restructuring and relief is not enough.

"We need to see credible and specific assurances that they will meet the IMF standard of debt relief," she added.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo for talks on the ongoing US support for Sri Lanka.

She noted that the United States is for a quick conclusion of the negotiations with the IMF, and expects all of Sri Lanka's major creditors to work with the IMF.

"We expect that China will provide credible and specific assurances regarding its readiness to join the rest of us in meeting the IMF standards regarding debt restructuring. So, we are seeing the rest of Sri Lanka's creditors come forward with those assurances, and now all eyes are on China to do the same," she noted.
 

- News 1st's Naveksha Gunasekera contributed to this report.