24 April 2021 12:00 am
Sri Lanka suggested to China to minimise non-tariff barriers for exports to it from the developing countries so that its property could be shared by them, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.
Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona said that developing countries would benefit immensely and be able to share in China’s prosperity, if non-tariff barriers to their exports to China could be minimised and assistance provided in negotiating through the complexities of these barriers. The ambassador attended the 20th China International CICA Summit Financial Cooperation in Jinan from April 16-18, 2021. This was the first Post Covid-19 offline conference. He was invited as a resource participant and addressed the plenary on the issue of non-tariff barriers to accessing the lucrative Chinese consumer market.
The Ambassador’s views were later endorsed by a number of participants, including the WHO representative in Beijing. The growing emphasis, in particular in China, on the urgent need to switch to renewable energy, consistent with the commitments made under the Paris Accords, and the increasing shift to AI to facilitate business also was touched upon by many high level speakers. Many of China’s leading banks, other financial institutions and SOEs were represented at the highest level. Ambassador Dr. Kohona also addressed a round-table on investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. It was noted that Bangladesh and Laos had created a very conducive investment environment in their countries.