The agreement will not enter into force until it has been presented to the Sri Lankan Parliament and adopted by Parliament and will provide comprehensive safeguards to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the approval process. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said concerns about the non-presentation of the agreement to Parliament before it was signed were inappropriate, saying that Parliament could not debate any unsigned documents. The opposition`s argument that the agreement should be suspended until after the elections also carries serious risks of losing the entire subsidy due to Sri Lanka`s recentgradation to higher middle income status. Even after the signing of the agreement, Sri Lanka still has the option of amending the agreement, provided that these amendments do not exceed the funding allowance allocated or extend the grant period by five years. In recent months, China has made considerable and highly visible efforts to help Sri Lanka – and the response of many other countries – to the COVID 19 pandemic, including a $500 million concession contract signed in March. The report was delivered to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa`s office on Thursday, after which the decision not to sign the agreement was made, he said. “We are open to discussions with the U.S. government, but it will be done with full transparency. If an agreement is signed, it will be concluded with the agreement of the cabinet, with the agreement of Parliament and the public,” he added. The document makes it clear that the Sri Lankan government is “the primary responsibility for monitoring and managing implementation” of projects, and legal advice signed by the Sri Lankan GA must be sought before the agreement enters into force. However, when verifying publicly available information, the MCC grant does not involve the leasing or transfer of ownership of Sri Lankan land and does not require Sri Lanka to rem pay any of the grant amounts until the agreement is explicitly violated. But what remains of Sri Lanka, given the breadth of public opinion, with other negotiating options, ministerial advice and the approval stamp of the Attorney General (GA)? The second argument is that the GCC agreement is an attempt to undermine Sri Lanka`s national security. While both allegations have been disputed by MCC country director Jenner Edelman, there remains a suspicion.