MoUs signed with Yunnan Province

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Several MoUs were signed between Sri Lanka and China at the inauguration of the Sri Lanka-Yunnan (China) Exchanges and Cooperation Promotion yesterday.

These MoUs were signed in the fields of tourism and leisure, agriculture, higher education, power and energy, telecommunication, biomass, technology and chemical and minerals

Economic and trade cooperation between Sri Lanka and Yunnan province of China have maintained a strong momentum of growth during the recent years. Yunnan Province Governor Qin Guangrong said bilateral trade volume in 2008 is nearly six times of that in 2005 an average annual increase of 80 percent.

“The cooperation between the two countries lay upon a sound and solid foundation. The prospects for the bilateral cooperation in the domains of tourism, mining, electric power, education, infrastructure construction, project contracting is wide and bright,” the Governor said.

“We wish to join hands with our counterparts in Sri Lanka to promote the economic and trade cooperation by holding this Exchange and Cooperation Promotion on the basis of mutual benefit and equality, with full recognition of mutual complementary in the domains of natural resources, industry structure and technology,” he said.

Chinese Ambassador Yang Xiuping said trade with China and Sri Lanka during the past six months had increased and Sri Lanka’s exports had increased by 60 percent.

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Dr Anura Ekanayake said it’s a great step forward because this was the largest ever trade delegation that had arrived in Sri Lanka.

The 200-member trade delegation from the Yunnan Province will make personal connections for investment, trade and commerce.