A high-level Chinese delegation will attend the Sri Lanka-China Trade and Investment Forum to be held in Colombo on May 30, hosted by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka.
Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China Wang Wentao will head the 115-member business delegation representing 77 Chinese companies, to engage with potential Sri Lankan business and investment partners, at the forum organized by the chamber’s Sri Lanka–China Business Council and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.
The Forum will offer “a platform to strengthen bilateral commercial ties, facilitate business matchmaking, and identify new trade and investment avenues, in a diverse range of sectors,” the chamber said.
“The visiting delegates will represent four major chambers in China: the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA), the China International Chamber of Commerce for the Private Sector (CICCPS), and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles.
“The delegation has expressed interest in imports from Sri Lanka including black tea, spices such as nutmeg and cloves, seafood including crab, fruits like papaya, pineapple, guava, and mango, as well as other food and agricultural products.
“Chinese businesses are looking to introduce garlic, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, various agricultural products, nuts, potatoes, vegetable items, textiles, and home textile products into the Sri Lankan market.
The services sector will also be a key focus, with potential collaboration in areas such as water treatment, clean energy, environmental protection technologies, engineering, and construction, CCC said.
Investment discussions are expected to focus on the automotive industry chain and tea plantation, and tea enterprise development.