Chinese ambassador attends inauguration of China-Sri Lanka Maritime Economic Cooperation and Managem

Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang was invited to attend the inauguration of China-Sri Lanka Maritime Economic Cooperation and Management Meeting and delivered a keynote speech 20 April. Sri Lankan Minister of Special Assignments Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Deputy Administrator of State Oceanic Administration of China Zhang Hongsheng and more than one hundred people including delegation members and Sri Lankan Navy and Coast Guard officers attended the ceremony. 

In his keynote speech, Ambassador Yi said the friendship between China and Sri Lanka dates back centuries and the bilateral cooperation is carried out in a friendly and mutually beneficial way. ‘China’s Belt and Road initiative aims at achieving common development and prosperity of regional nations. There is a huge potential in marine cooperation between China and Sri Lanka, such as cooperation in the fields of maritime connectivity, marine economy, fisheries, marine scientific research and environmental protection, and disaster management etc. China-Sri Lanka cooperation, including marine cooperation, is open and transparent, and we welcome any interested party to join us in the cooperation.’  Dr. Sarath Amunugama extended the warm greetings and best wishes for success of the meeting on behalf of President Maithripala Sirisena. He said that during Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent visit to China, both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral marine cooperation. Sri Lanka should seize this historic opportunity for development, give full play to the geographic advantage in the Indian Ocean, and further develop the “blue economy”.

The China-Sri Lanka Maritime Economic Cooperation and Management Meeting was convened by the Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Cooperation in association with the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka, the State Oceanic Administration of China and the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka. The meeting was held from 20 to 22 April 2016 and covered the four major areas of marine economic cooperation, marine environment, marine scientific research and marine management. The Chinese delegation members are officials and experts from the State Oceanic Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Coast Guard and other departments.