SCODA pavilion in Qindao to highlight Sri Lanka products

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China Dr. Palitha Kohona participated in the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Financial Cooperation and Capital Market Development Forum held in Jiaozhou, Qingdao, during 27-28 October.

The Forum was hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government, co-organised by the Management Committee of the Demonstration Zone for China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, and the Jiaozhou Municipal People’s Government. 

The goal of the forum was to promote cooperation in the industrial chain, and the financial markets and capital markets of the SCO countries and broaden the in-depth exchanges and cooperation between Qingdao, Shandong Province, and SCO countries.

The Forum explored the expansion of capital markets, using RMB for international transactions, encouraging trade and investments, etc. in the SCO region. More than 30 foreign dignitaries, diplomatic envoys and enterprise representatives, as well as nearly 20 large domestic and foreign financial institutions and enterprises attended the forum.

Ambassador Dr. Kohona, addressing the forum, emphasised the need for greater access to the Chinese market place for products of member states. Later, Ambassador Kohona was taken on an inspection tour of the SCO Demonstration Area (SCODA) being developed to help SCO members to highlight their products in the global consumer marketplace. 

Some members of the SCO have already established their pavilions. The organisers gave a commitment to complete the Sri Lanka pavilion within the coming months but asked that more Sri Lankan products be made available for sale. Qingdao while being a highly developed city, is also one of the terminals of the railway network that links up with cities in Europe. 

After the inspection tour, Ambassador Dr. Kohona met member of Standing Committee of Qingdao Municipal Government and Jiaozhou Municipal Party Secretary Liu Jianjun, Director of Foreign Affairs of Qingdao Mou Jundian, as well as officials from the Management Committee of the SCO Demonstration Area.