15 May 2017 10:11 am
A 70-member high profile delegation led by Communist Party Secretary of China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Peng Qinghua, will arrive in Colombo this week on the invitation of Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to attend the Guangxi, China-Sri Lanka Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum.
The objective of the visit is to actively promote economic and trade cooperation between Sri Lanka and Guangxi.
The 70-member strong delegation will include senior officials from the provincial government, Department of Commerce, Foreign Affairs Office, Commission of Tourism Department, Beibu Gulf Economic Zone & Cooperation, Wuzhou City Council and heads of business enterprises.
A powerful group of large enterprises will accompany Peng Qinghua and his team of senior officials, which will be representing agriculture, automobile, aluminum, construction equipment, development banking, electrical, engineering & construction, property development, tourism, industrial park development and gem and jewelry sectors.
The scheduled forum is aimed at strengthening ties between Sri Lanka and China and can be considered a significant event when the two countries celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
It offers a great opportunity for Sri Lankan enterprises looking to expand their respective businesses through transfer of new technology as well as infusion of new capital.
Simultaneously, the forum offers a great opportunity for the visiting Chinese enterprises to obtain a firsthand view of the investment climate in Sri Lanka and also to pursue opportunities for establishing fruitful partnerships with Sri Lankan enterprises. Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is situated in China’s southern frontier area, facing Beibuwan Gulf in the south and bordering Vietnam on the southwest.
The whole region covers an area of over 236,700 square kilometres with a population of 49.25 million. Its main industries are agriculture, textiles and iron. Its GDP in 2016 was in excess of 1,800 billion RMB. The forum is being organized by the Provincial People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, China together with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce and is co-organized by the Guangxi Department of Commerce, Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka-China Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Along with the Chinese business delegates, about 60 Sri Lankan private business representatives are expected to attend the forum and conduct B2B meetings and network with their Chinese counterparts.