On January 12, the ground-breaking ceremony of Eastern Container Terminal undertaken by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. at Colombo Port was held. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong attended the gathering.

The construction of the project includes about 720 meters of wharf shoreline, 600,000 square meters of storage yard and other auxiliary facilities, with a total construction period of 36 months. The project is scheduled to be completed on January 4, 2025.

The project will provide thousands of jobs for the locals and promote local people's livelihood. After completion, the status of Colombo Port as a transit hub port in South Asia will be further strengthened.