Sri Lanka–China Business Council celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Sri Lanka–China Business Council (SLCHBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary, marking a quarter-century of economic and trade cooperation between Sri Lanka and China.

The event, themed ‘25 Years of Unwavering Alliance’, brought together senior Government officials, diplomats, past Presidents and office-bearers of the Council and prominent business leaders from both countries, including Krishan Balendra, Chairperson of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of John Keells Holdings PLC., and  Wang Gang, Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka and Managing Director of China Harbour Engineering Company.

Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, attended as the Chief Guest.

In his address, the Minister hailed the strong economic relations between the two countries. Noting that China remained Sri Lanka’s largest import partner in 2025, with iron and steel, knitted fabrics and vehicles among the top imports, while Sri Lankan exports to China included apparel, tea, activated carbon, vegetable fibre, coconut husk and chips.

Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti and Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, also attended the event.

Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China Zhu Yanwei, attending as Guest of Honour on behalf of Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Qi Zhenhong.

He said that China greatly appreciates the Council’s outstanding contributions to the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries over the past 25 years and looks forward to it continuing its bridging role and promoting the bilateral free trade agreement, attracting more Chinese investment and facilitating the export of more high-quality Sri Lankan products to China.

In the welcome address, the Council’s President Haroun Cader described the anniversary as a celebration of friendship, enterprise and partnership, recalling that the Council was established 25 years ago under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber to connect the business communities of Sri Lanka and China.

He paid tribute to Ambassador Qi Zhendong’s tenure, thanking him for his unwavering support and close cooperation and outlined the Council’s priorities for the years ahead: giving small and medium-sized Sri Lankan businesses better access to Chinese markets and investors, bringing new technology and skills into local partnerships and remaining a trusted platform for engagement as digital trade, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing reshape global commerce.

Source: Daily News