COLOMBO: After reports of Chinese-made doormats featuring Sri Lanka's national flag being sold online surfaced on social media, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has raised its concerns with China and had called for a full-scale inquiry into the sale of such doormats, Daily Mirror online reported.
"The recent reports on social media platforms of a 'Sri Lanka Flag Non-Slip Doormat' which is being advertised for online purchase on the Amazon website. Foreign Secretary Admiral Professor Jayanath Colombage has informed the Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing to contact the manufacturer concerned in China and also has brought to the attention of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo, the advertising of Sri Lanka's national flag as a doormat," the Ministry said in a statement.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington DC has also been instructed to follow up on the matter with the advertising platform Amazon, Daily Mirror online reported.
Beijing took over Hambantota port in the south of the country in 2016 after Sri Lanka failed to keep up with debt repayments. Since then there is a growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka. China is involved in the construction and operation of a neighbouring port terminal in Colombo, as well as other critical infrastructure.