China moves to review import quarantine rules on Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka bilateral cooperation advanced to a new level on June 4, as Yunnan, the third leading international trade and economic centre of China followed by Shanghai and Guanzhou, decides to review a set of its import quarantine rules, in response to the official submission by a visiting Sri Lankan Commerce Minister, Rishad Bathiudeen.

“I will immediately inform the Director General of our Department of Commerce to take necessary measures with regard to quarantine regulations specially pertaining to perishable cargo” announced Gu Zhaoxi, Deputy Governor of Yunnan Province.

Gu Zhaoxi, the powerful Deputy Governor of People’s Government of Yunnan Province, was apprising Rishad Bathiudeen, the visiting Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka during the bilateral trade session between Sri Lanka and China at the Kai Wa Plaza Hotel, Beijing Street, Kunming, China.

Sri Lankan Minister Bathiudeen was in Kunming to attend the twin events of the seventh China South Asia Business Forum and the South Asian Countries Trade Fair in Kunming leading the strong business and official delegation.

Gu Zhaoxi thereafter revealed to Minister Bathiudeen: “To seek new investment opportunities in Sri Lanka we can form a strong working group cum committee from Yunnan as a follow up and to negotiate for possible trade cooperation in the near future.”

We will provide Sri Lanka with a 100 square metres of permanent, totally free of charge showroom space in Kunming to facilitate Sri Lankan gem and jewellery promotion.”

The delegation can come back with the needs and opportunities of Sri Lankan investment and businesses and apprise the Chinese investors here. I am pretty confident that in the near future Sri Lanka will have a greeting in place from Kunming. This committee could expand our bilateral trade cooperation.”

According to the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the total trade between Sri Lanka and China is on an upward trend.

In 2011, the total bilateral trade value topped US $ 2239.43 million with the balance of trade in favour of China. Sri Lanka’s exports to China, have increased from US$ 10.9 million in 2002 to US$ 156 million in 2011 which is an achievemen considering the fact that only eight Countries in Asia including Sri Lanka were able to maintain a positive Export growth to China compared with 2008.

“We are also keen to see increased tourists from Yunnan. Thanks to the efforts of Basil Rajapksa, our Economic Development Minister, we are now working towards 16000 hotel rooms target by 2016 to cater to our tourists whose numbers increased by 40% in 2011 in comparison to 2010.

We also invite Chinese investors to invest in our tourism sector resurgence. We also request Yunnan to increase its imports of globally renowned Pure Ceylon Tea and our high quality apparels,” Minister said.