China-Sri Lanka seminar on experience exchange in economic development and poverty alleviation

On 25 April, the Embassy hosted a reception at Colombo Port City for participants of the China-Sri Lanka Seminar on Experience Exchange in the Field of Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation. Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka Nandika Kumanayaka attended and delivered speeches. Around 40 guests, including participants of the seminar and officials from relevant Government departments of Sri Lanka, attended the event.

Ambassador Qi congratulated the participants on the successful conclusion of the seminar and expressed the hope that they would become important bridges and bonds for China-Sri Lanka friendship and cooperation. He emphasised that the success of Chinese modernisation shows clearly that modernisation does not mean Westernisation. Every country can walk its own path, based on its own history, values, and strengths. China and Sri Lanka are good partners in pursuing development. China firmly supports Sri Lanka in pursuing a modernisation path suited to its own national conditions. He expressed confidence that under the strong leadership of President Dissanayake, the Sri Lankan people will overcome risks and challenges and write a new chapter of national renewal. However, development is never easy. The US recently took the unilateral step of imposing so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on all its trading partners, attempting to deprive other countries of their rights to free trade and development for its own selfish interests. Such actions have severely undermined the interests of developing countries, including China and Sri Lanka. In the face of such tariff bullying and power politics, China has no choice but to stand firm and respond with strong countermeasures. This is not only about defending China’s own legitimate rights and interests, but also about standing up for fairness and justice, upholding the rules-based international order, and safeguarding the development rights of all nations. 

Kumanayaka expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese Government for organising this important program for Government officials of Sri Lanka, to exchange experiences on economic development and poverty alleviation. He noted that China has demonstrated remarkable achievements in the last few decades, becoming the world’s largest manufacturing industrial economy and exporter of goods. In near future, China will become the world leader, obtaining the largest GDP. China has been able to take nearly 800 million of people out of the poverty, and is a global leader in innovation, 5G, Quantum Computing and space exploration. He emphasised that the new Government of Sri Lanka also has a strong mandate to boost the economic growth to move out of the crisis and also to eradicate the poverty, and therefore can learn from China’s valuable development experience. The seminar perfectly matched Sri Lanka’s current development needs, and it is believed that the participants can adopt their experiences to the Sri Lankan context, making use of this program.

Representatives of the participants fondly recalled their unforgettable experience in China, expressing heartfelt thanks to the Chinese side for the precious opportunity and deep admiration for China’s achievements in economic and social development. They noted that the Belt and Road Initiative has injected strong momentum into the economic and social development of participating countries and yielded fruitful results, and that China’s success in poverty alleviation and high-quality development has brought hope and opportunities to developing countries around the world. The seminar was not just about knowledge sharing and experience exchange－it built a bridge of friendship between China and Sri Lanka, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations.

To implement the important consensus reached by the two Presidents in January this year, and to strengthen exchange of governance experience between the two countries, the National Development and Reform Commission of China hosted the China-Sri Lanka Seminar on Experience Exchange in the Field of Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation from 23 March to 5 April. 28 senior officials from 13 Sri Lankan Government departments participated in the program, engaging in in-depth study and discussion on topics such as poverty reduction, rural revitalisation, green economy, digital transformation, and national governance.

The seminar invited Chinese experts to give lectures and host discussions on a wide variety of topics, including the interpretation of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Economy, introduction of China’s national conditions, the procedure and methodology of China’s national development planning, China’s poverty alleviation and poverty reduction experience, digital governance, and China’s rural revitalisation policy and practice, etc. 

Besides, the seminar organised field research and exchanges with Local Government departments and relevant enterprises, allowing participants to gain an in-depth understanding of China’s latest progress in the fields of economic development, poverty alleviation and reduction, green and low-carbon development, and digital economy. In Shijiazhuang of Hebei Province, the participants visited Majiazhuang and learned about the experience of Chinese villages in utilising agricultural technology to increase production and income, actively expanding sales channels for agricultural products, and improving the quality of life.

In Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, the participants visited Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group and had a discussion with the executives of the enterprise, so as to gain a deeper understanding of the development mode of China’s digital economy and its important role in promoting industrial upgrading and economic transformation. 

In Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, the participants visited the photovoltaic power generation project in Longshan Town of Cixi City, and had a discussion with the relevant management departments of Ningbo Port to learn about China’s advanced experience in green and low-carbon development and efficient operation of ports.

The seminar is not only a vivid portrayal of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation among developing countries, but also a further deepening of cooperation and exchanges between China and Sri Lanka in the economic field, which will help introduce China’s experience in economic development and poverty alleviation into Sri Lanka, and inject a strong impetus to promote high-quality China-Sri Lanka cooperation in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Majiazhuang village

Majiazhuang village 

Ningbo Port

On China's high-speed railway

Photovoltaic power generation project in Longshan