Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday, 30 October 2025 06:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Finance Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando (left) at the “Global Dialogue on Innovation, Openness, and Shared Development" forum
Finance Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando called for renewed global commitment to openness in trade, investment, and knowledge exchange, warning that rising protectionism threatens decades of economic progress.
Addressing the “Global Dialogue on Innovation, Openness, and Shared Development” organised by China Media Group, Dr. Fernando said global finance and trade cannot thrive behind walls, and urged nations to resist the drift towards fragmentation and geopolitical division.
He stressed that openness was essential for sharing the dividends of innovation and for ensuring equitable development across countries.
“Our commitment to openness must be demonstrated through trade and investment liberalisation,” he said, adding that a fair, rules-based multilateral trading system centred on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) remained crucial for global stability.
The Deputy Minister emphasised the need to lower barriers to cross-border investment and the free movement of capital while strengthening financial connectivity between economies. He said deeper financial linkages and cooperation would help manage systemic risks and support development financing in emerging markets.
Dr. Fernando also called for greater global collaboration in science, education, and research, describing knowledge exchange as a cornerstone of economic progress. “Ideas know no borders,” he said, arguing that global challenges such as climate change and pandemics demand shared intellectual resources.
He noted that openness and innovation together could support sustainable, inclusive growth, particularly for developing nations.
“Innovation provides the means; openness provides the bridge; and shared development provides the purpose,” he said, urging policymakers to translate these principles into concrete trade and fiscal policies.
Dr. Fernando said that protectionism and unilateral economic measures undermine global confidence and investment flows.
He said Sri Lanka remains committed to multilateral cooperation and to policies that foster cross-border trade, investment, and knowledge partnerships as part of its economic recovery and long-term growth strategy.
