China, Lanka's lead buyer in APTA

Sri Lanka's exports to China under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) grew by 700 percent, Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen said.

"On behalf of our exporters, I thank China's SAIC for giving us new openings. Our exports to the APTA bloc grew by 360 percent to an estimated $99 million from 2007 to 2011. This outsize growth rate is highly promising. And in 2007-2011, Lanka's export's to China under APTA alone grew by a massive 700 percent between 2007 and 2011," Bathiudeen said.

The minister said this during a courtesy call by Vice Minister Gan Lin of the state registration and licensing authority of China, called the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of China (SAIC).

SAIC has over 51 million business enterprises and individual businesses as well as 436,800 foreign firms registered under it and operating within China.

SIAC is run by Minister Zhou Bohua, the direct appointee of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Minister Bathiudeen informed Gan Lin that in 2007-2011, Sri Lanka's export's to China under APTA grew by 719 percent, thereby China becoming the most promising destination when it comes to the Sri Lanka - APTA trade.

Introducing Ceylon Cinnamon to Gan Lin, Minister Bathiudeen said: "We are also very keen to increase reception to Pure Ceylon Cinnamon in China's market in the same way as Pure Ceylon Tea.

Sri Lanka will be thankful for marketing and distribution support for our Cinnamon and other exports. We are looking to get Pure Ceylon Cinnamon trade mark in China and to this end, we need SAIC's assistance.

"We like your products which are of high quality and we are looking for more and more tea and rubber from Sri Lanka," Gan Lin said.

"We at SAIC are focused on market development of our own Chinese products rather than foreign products. However, we see Sri Lanka as a small exporter and from our point of view Sri Lanka's volumes are not a threat to the Chinese market. we are looking at your official, ministerial request favourably and would consider assisting Sri Lanka in China markets," she said.

"There is great potential for each other and joint efforts from both parties can successfully exploit this promise. We also invite Sri Lankan businesses to visit China more often and explore Chinese consumer needs closely so that Sri Lankan suppliers can get a better idea as to what they can move and what they cannot in the Chinese marketplace," Gan Lin said.