China moves to review import quarantine rules on Sri Lanka Minister’s request

•  Sino-Lanka bilateral trade cooperation in a new historic high
• China grants permanent and free of charge display centre for Lankan gem and jewels on Rishad’s request
• Strong investment delegation from Yunnan arriving in Sri Lankan shores soon

China-Sri Lanka bilateral cooperation advanced to a new level on 4 June 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 Minister of Industry and Commerce 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 Yunnan Province Deputy Governor Gu Zhaoxi.

Zhaoxi was apprising Minister Bathiudeen during the bilateral trade session between Sri Lanka and China, held on 4 June evening at the Kai Wa Plaza Hotel, Beijing Street, Kunming, China.

Minister Bathiudeen is 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.  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 achievement  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.

Minister Bathiudeen voicing the issues of Sri Lankan exporters to China, apprised Zhaoxi: “Our exports to China too have grown and in 2011 it stood at $ 156 million. However, our committed exporters, specially those who export perishables such as seafood, fruits and other agricultural products, are hampered by customs regulations that requires quarantine inspection, relating to perishable cargo, such as seafood and fruits. Sri Lanka will be appreciative to China for addressing this problem.”

Zhaoxi said: “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. This needs to be tackled with Beijing based national level import export quarantine agencies. If importers in China want to import or export agro and perishable items such as seafood, each such item need to be identified and also certified by our quarantine agency. Thus, the agriculture quarantine agency in charge of examining agriculture product import and export should be contacted and so on. Private exporters from Laos and Thailand also requested to export a new agro item from their countries to Yunnan. In these cases we have to obtain a report from the National Quarantine Examination Administration in Beijing. They will send staff to each country on a field visit to examine samples and certify for exporting the items to China saying they are environmentally and otherwise safe and satisfy other conditions meeting Chinese standards.   Since quarantine clearance is a very complicated process, specially at the beginning, a possible solution for this issue is the recommendation from our Departments of Commerce of both countries. By a common effort between the Departments of both countries, we can agree on a list of products in this regard.  We like your Department of Commerce to submit the items in a single list so that our field staff can in one go, can visit Sri Lanka and certify all of them.” Zhaoxi added: “Yunnan wants to improve to other aspects of China Sri Lanka relations beyond the trade and economic cooperation as at present. We want to begin cooperation with Sri Lanka on education, culture and also tourism.”

China’s National Quarantine Bureau which is in charge of import-export quarantine regulations, pays close very attention to provincial Departments of Commerce, such as Yunnan’s Department of Commerce, in making quarantine decisions.

Minister Bathiudeen stated: “We are also keen to see increased tourists from Yunnan. Thanks to the efforts of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapksa 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.”

On the need for a permanent Sri Lankan gem and jewellery display showroom in China Minister Bathiudeen requested: “Sri Lanka will be thankful to Yunnan if the administration can provide a permanent Sri Lankan gem and jewellery display showroom to be managed by the Government of Sri Lanka for the benefit of international standard gem and jewellery sector.”

Zhaoxi apprising Minister in this regard revealed: “We are highly interested in promoting our Chinese tourists to visit Sri Lanka. We also totally agree with your suggestion for a permanent Sri Lankan gem and jewellery display showroom to be managed by the Government of Sri Lanka. 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.”