Sri Lanka and China’s Hubei Forge New Bonds:Building Prosperity Together Along the Belt and Road

Address by President Peng Shuangjie, Central China Normal University

Connected live to the conference venue in Sri Lanka

On September 24, the “Silk Road Linking Hubei, Shared Prosperity with Ceylon” Sri Lanka–China (Hubei) Economic and Cultural Cooperation Forum was launched simultaneously in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and at the Science Auditorium of Central China Normal University (CCNU) in Wuhan.

At the event, Long Xiaohong, Director General of the Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce, and Liu Sanya, Vice President of CCNU, jointly unveiled the Overseas Service Station for Hubei Enterprises in Sri Lanka and the South Asia Branch of the Global Economic and Cultural Exchange Center. A series of strategic cooperation agreements was also signed. This online-hybrid forum marks Sri Lanka’s growing role as a key hub for Hubei and Chinese enterprises seeking to enter the South Asian market, while also providing Sri Lankan businesses with a more convenient channel to expand cooperation with China and attract investment. The initiative is set to further promote deep interaction and shared growth between the two countries in trade, culture, and beyond.

Peng Shuangjie, President of CCNU, emphasised that the university will leverage the technological empowerment of the China–Sri Lanka Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Tea Ecological Control to advance bilateral “cultural exchanges going global” and support local economic development in both countries. During the event, participants in Wuhan connected with counterparts in Colombo via live video link, engaging in substantive discussions. Hon. Samantha Vithyalathana, Minister of Plantation Industries of Sri Lanka, and Hon. Jayawardena, Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, highlighted the broad prospects for Sri Lanka–Hubei cooperation in trade and cultural exchange.

It was announced that in January next year, the South Asia Branch of the Global Economic and Cultural Exchange Center will assist in organising a Hubei business delegation to Sri Lanka for field visits and business matchmaking. This will not only promote “Hubei Premium Products” in Sri Lanka and the wider South Asian market but will also open greater channels for Sri Lanka’s signature exports-including Ceylon tea, gemstones, and spices, to reach Chinese consumers, fostering genuine mutual benefit and win–win results. The forum was co-hosted by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Ministry of Plantation Industries, Ministry of Fisheries, Central China Normal University, the Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce, University of Peradeniya and the Hubei Brand Promotion Association, and was organised by the China-Sri Lanka Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Tea Ecological Control. 

This forum was coordinated by Dr Wishwajith Kandegama, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka and the general Secretary to the China-Sri Lanka Belt and Road Joint Laboratory.