The first phase of a $500m container terminal funded by China has opened in Sri Lanka.<br /><br />It is the latest development in an increasingly close relationship between the two countries.<br /><br />China recently pledged $2.2bn in loans to Sri Lanka, and has funded projects including the south Asian nation's first toll expressway, an international airport and sea port and a coal fired power plant.<br /><br />Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez reports from Colombo.
