Strengthening friendship, cooperation between Sri Lanka and China:

Bright future for Yunnan - Lanka ties

The Journey of Friendship and Cooperation to the South Asia aims at expanding our long-standing friendship.

Text of the speech by Yunnan Province Governor of People’s Republic of China (PRC) Qin Guangrong at the Sri Lanka - Yunnan (China) Exchanges and Cooperation Promotion Conference held in Colombo on September 1

The Journey of Friendship and Cooperation to the South Asia aims at expanding our long-standing friendship.

As a well-known tourist destination, Sri Lanka boasts beautiful beaches, mysterious ancient towns, unique culture and colourful natural heritages. China and Sri Lanka enjoys a long history of exchanges and friendship. The warm sentiment of the Sri Lankan people is instantly felt by us through the hospitality accorded ever since we set our foot on this land of eternal beauty. As early as 1,600 years ago, Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian (Fa Hien) in the Jin Dynasty (265-420 A D) made a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka, marking the first people-to-people contact between China and Sri Lanka. To follow suit, 600 years ago, the great Chinese navigator Zheng He, a native of Yunnan, travelled to Sri Lanka for many times.

Many of his journeys to Sri Lanka have been cited even today as splendid events in the time-honoured history of friendly exchanges between the two countries. To add to the glamour of the friendship, a prince from Sri Lanka in Zheng He’s time decided to settle in China after visiting the country. His offspring are said to still live in China today.

Turning over the pages to the present time, the enchanting Sri Lankan Garden featured in the 1999 World Horticulture Exposition in Yunnan added much to the great success of the expo.

Trade Fair

Both this year and last year, Sri Lanka organized large and significant participation to the South Asian Countries Trade Fair in Yunnan. To reciprocate, Yunnan sent delegations to Sri Lanka to strike up partnership for mutual benefits. The mutual exchanges of visits are highlighted by the attendance of Prime Minister Jayaratne to the Poverty Alleviation Conference of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in Kunming this July. I think that we both cherish age-old history of bilateral exchanges and ever-lasting friendship and should go further to expand our partnership for a bright future. We are ready to make more acquaintances here in Sri Lanka and to carry forward our traditional friendship as well as to write a new chapter into the annals of friendly partnership between Yunnan Province of China and Sri Lanka.

This Journey of Friendship and Cooperation to the South Asia aims at showcasing a colourful Yunnan.

Yunnan Province in China is the closest to Sri Lanka. It borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar of Southeast Asia and is adjacent to South Asia. It is known as an important overland gateway of China to Southeast Asia and South Asia. Its Capital Kunming is less than 3,000 kilometres away from Colombo by air. The natural geographical bond between Yunnan and Sri Lanka creates favourable conditions and advantages for closer partnership.

Yunnan Province has abundant natural resources. Entitled as the Kingdom of Non-ferrous Metals, the Province boasts large reserves of phosphorus and non-ferrous metals. Out of 142 ores found in Yunnan, 25 are listed among the top three places in reserves in China. Yunnan is also an important energy generation base in China. Its hydropower potential of 100 thousand megawatts takes up one fourth of the nation’s total. Besides, Yunnan boasts the largest bio-diversity in the world. The Northwestern part of the Province, only 0.8 percent of the land size in the country, is habitat to one third of China’s total species of higher plants and animals.

Yunnan Province is a tourism Province in China. It is a Province of historical significance. There are 25 ethnic groups living in the Province, the largest in number of ethnic groups in China.

Each ethnic group has its unique culture. The multi-faceted cultures of all the ethnic groups thrive in harmony in the Province, a phenomenon rarely seen in other parts of the world. Thanks to its natural beauty, sites of historical significance diversified ethnic cultures and agreeable climate, Yunnan has become a much sought-after tourist destination in the world. Over 120 million domestic and international tourists travelling to the Province in 2009 tell much of the story.

Journey of Friendship

Yunnan Province is one of the prioritized Provinces on the new agenda of the West China Development Strategy by the Chinese Central Government. In the recent 10 years, the Province has witnessed averaged annual GDP growth by 10 percent. In 2009, Yunnan registered a GDP exceeding 90 billion US dollars, or 2,000 US dollars per-capita. A featured industrial system possessing core competitive edge has taken an initial shape in the Province. To name but a few, the tobacco industry is No.1 in China, followed by being an important base for non-ferrous metals and phosphorous chemical production, a famous tourist destination, power energy base and the largest exporter of fresh-cut flowers in Asia. To take the lead in the massive endeavours to facilitating the Western Development program in the nation, Yunnan Province is sparing no efforts to becoming a base for industrial transfer and relocation from East China and a processing base for Southeast Asia and South Asia oriented import and export.

Yunnan Province at present is on the track of fast growth, attracting more and more investment from the outside. It is open in an unprecedented way for exchanges and cooperation with all the countries and regions in the world.

We are ready to strengthen communication and understanding with Sri Lanka, and be a lifetime good neighbour, intimate partner on our shared course to common progress.

This Journey of Friendship and Cooperation to South Asia aims at promoting more effective and pragmatic cooperation between Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka.

Over recent years, the economic and trade cooperation between Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka have maintained a strong momentum of growth. Bilateral trade volume in 2008 is nearly six times of that in 2005 with an average annual increase rate of 80 percent. In spite of the downtrend caused by the global financial crisis in 2009, the bilateral trade is restoring its previous momentum of growth this year.

The cooperation between Yunnan and Sri Lanka is laid upon a sound and solid foundation and favoured by an advantageous geographical condition. The prospect of the bilateral cooperation in the domains of tourism, mining, electric power, education, infrastructure construction, project contracting is wide and bright. On September 31 the premiere flight from Kunming to Colombo with a planeload of friendship, enthusiasm and hope of the People of Yunnan Province inaugurated by China Eastern Airline, Yunnan Company Ltd created a rainbow linking ‘Colourful Yunnan Province’ and ‘Pearl of Indian Ocean’, bringing one arts troupe and six delegations of 180 people from the fields of business, tourism, mining, education, electric power, telecommunications, agriculture, culture, arts and press.

Natural resources

We wish to join hands with our counterparts in Sri Lanka to promote the economic and trade cooperation by holding this exchanges and cooperation promotion on the basis of mutual benefit and equality, full recognition of mutual complementarities in the domains of natural resources, industry structure, technology, etc., and to raise the bilateral cooperation to a new level. I hereby would like to put forward six suggestions:

Firstly, to establish a mechanism of high-profile exchange of visits. In an attempt to foster the cooperation between Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka, I suggest that the high ranking officials of Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka visit each other regularly every year to discuss the problems and difficulties both sides confront during the process of cooperation and explore the channels and possible ways to further cooperation and to establish consensus. By exchanging visits and meeting regularly, it is expected that the cooperation will be uninterruptedly furthered both in depth and width.

Secondly, to boost the cooperation on natural resources development. Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka could cooperate on energy development. The technology and know-how Yunnan Province possesses in the development of clean energy such as hydropower, wind power, biomass energy, solar power, etc. could aptly meet the demand of Sri Lanka. I suggest that both sides vigorously promote the exchange and cooperation in the fields of energy investment, technology exchanges and management. Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka could cooperate on mineral resource development. Yunnan province is a renowned base for processing and trading of jewelries in China, Whereas Sri Lanka enjoys the fame of Island of Precious Stones.

I suggest that Sri Lanka and Yunnan Province give full play of their own advantages to expand the scope of cooperation on mining industry to prospecting, excavating, processing and trading of mining resources.

Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka could also cooperate on development of agricultural and forest resources.

Yunnan Province is a major agricultural province in China, whereas agriculture is the mainstay sector of the national economy of Sri Lanka bestowed with favorable condition for agricultural production.

The production capacity of the tea and rubber sectors of Sri Lanka is on the top of the list in the world. I suggest both sides further seek the possibilities of cooperation on husbandry, tea plantation, agricultural and forest machinery, agricultural and forest products processing, etc.

Thirdly, to expand the cooperation on trade and economy.

Cultural exchanges

The reputation and positive influence of China, Kunming International Import and Export Commodities Fair and the South Asian Countries Trade Fair held concurrently are increasing year by year. They have become the most important showcase and platform for the economic and trade exchanges between China and Southeast Asia and South Asia. We will do our utmost as always to provide facilitation and assistance to help more business people from Sri Lanka to Yunnan to participate in these events.

On the other hand, we will organize more trade missions to Sri Lanka to participate in the economic and trade functions of all kinds held by Sri Lanka in pursuit of promoting bilateral economic exchange and cooperation in all dimension.

Fourthly, to strengthen the cooperation on marketing.

Both Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka have accumulated plenty of experience of success in the global market of jewellary and tourism. I suggest both sides learn from each other and join hands to explore an even larger market.

Fifthly, to enhance the interconnectivity of communications.

Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka should further the cooperation in the field of aviation and transportation to provide more facilitation to the flow of people and cargo’s as well as tourism development. The cooperation in this area bears significant meanings as to promote all-round, multi-sector cooperation between two sides. I suggest Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka enhance the cooperation on aviation and transportation to build a time-effective, comfortable and convenient airborne corridor of cooperation.

Sixthly, to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation on social undertaking.

The cultural exchanges lay an important foundation for passing on and fostering our friendship and expanding our cooperation. I suggest that both sides consolidate the cooperation on culture, education, public health and media.

Both sides should ardently participate in the cultural exchange programs, learn from each other and help each other to progress so that both sides could be able to draw on the wisdom of two traditional cultures and uphold the harmony between people and nature as well as the harmony among different peoples.

We sincerely wish this promotion is a new starting point from which we could proceed to establish connections, expand exchanges, deepen cooperation and join efforts to promote all-round, multi-sector friendly cooperation between Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka and build a brighter future for Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka.

We firmly believe that the flower of the friendship and cooperation between Yunnan Province and Sri Lanka will fully blossom, release splendid glamour and bear bounty fruits.