SL association working on attracting Chinese tourists
The Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association and the Chinese Association for International Understanding discussed the potential for more ties between Sri Lanka and China at a conference on Thursday.
The conference was organized by the Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association (SLCFA) on May 8th at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. Its purpose was to present the history of China-Sri Lanka relations, the current state of these relations and to examine further areas of growth.
The SLCFA together with delegates from the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU) discussed the importance of people-to-people exchange. “It could promote cooperation, and lay a solid foundation for state-to-state relations,” General-Secretary of the CAFIU, Liu Kaiyan stated. He added that they were not looking for just economic ties with Sri Lanka, but cultural exchanges as well.
Sumathi Dharmawardana, General-Secretary of the SLCFA, told the Business Times about plans to promote Chinese tourism in Sri Lanka. Collaborating on projects with the CAFIU and other organizations, the SLCFA hope to tap China’s massive tourist market. Besides the economic gain, they hope this will allow for more connection between the people of Sri Lanka and China.
In his speech, Mr. Kaiyan gave an overview of the history of contemporary China, its recent development, the obstacles it faces, and “The Chinese Dream”. He defined the Chinese Dream as “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation, to realise the goal of constructing a prosperous society”. In the following discussion he talked about the greater role China would be playing in the region and in the international stage.
With China’s booming economy and significant reserves, the potential for more investment in Sri Lanka was discussed, in addition to the past large-scale infrastructure projects. Mr. Dharmawardana noted that the China Development Bank is collaborating with two private banks in Sri Lanka to make $25 million available as loans for medium sized projects. Mr. Kaiyan advised that in addition to FDI from the Chinese Government, Sri Lanka should also look to the growing Chinese private sector as a source of capital.
President of the SLCFA Ananda Goonatilleke detailed the history of his organization since it’s founding in 1950, and its role in facilitating relations between China and Sri Lanka.