China Reaffirms Support for Sri Lanka’s Development at Trade and Investment Forum 2025
China has reiterated its strong support for Sri Lanka’s development aspirations at the Sri Lanka–China Trade and Investment Forum 2025, which brought together over 100 Chinese enterprises and key public and private sector leaders from Sri Lanka.
Addressing the forum, Sri Lanka’s Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, hailed China as a “trusted partner” and emphasized the government’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.
The Chinese delegation was led by Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, who encouraged both countries to deepen economic collaboration, broaden trade opportunities, and adopt multilateral strategies to foster resilience and sustainability. “China stands ready to support Sri Lanka’s development journey,” he declared.
During the event, Chinese and Sri Lankan enterprises engaged in investment matchmaking across sectors such as green economy, agriculture and food products, garments, and mechanical manufacturing. The initiative aimed to unlock new trade and investment pathways between the two nations.
The forum followed the eighth meeting of the China-Sri Lanka Joint Trade and Economic Commission, held in Colombo on May 29. Co-chaired by Minister Wang Wentao and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Co-operative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, the meeting saw both sides exchange views on advancing high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), expanding market access, and upholding a rules-based multilateral trading system.
Two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed at the conclusion of the talks—one for establishing a Trade Facilitation Working Group, and another focused on industrial and supply chain cooperation.
The forum and commission meeting signal renewed momentum in Sri Lanka-China economic relations, with both countries looking to accelerate collaborative projects and attract fresh investment under the broader BRI framework.