Mangala, Ravi K, Eran to add Govt. weight to future of SL ties with China and India

With the Government pursuing greater economic cooperation with China and India in parallel with these two countries being active development and trading partners, key figures in the recently reshuffled Cabinet will figure prominently at tomorrow’s Daily FT-Colombo University MBAA and HSBC organised full-day forum at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera will be the Chief Guest at the inauguration at 9.00 a.m. with State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne attending as the Guest of Honour. The duo will set the stage for an absorbing and intelligent discourse on the way forward for Sri Lanka’s economic cooperation with China with a top panel of international, regional and local experts. 

Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake will be the Chief Guest at the post-lunch session focusing on the future of enhanced economic cooperation with India. It will be his first formal private sector engagement since a successful maiden trip to India as Foreign Minister last week.

The groundbreaking forum, which for the first time will discuss future ties with China and India at a common forum akin to bringing China and India together for Sri Lanka, is considered a must-attend event given the fact that China and India are Sri Lanka’s largest trading partners, leading sources for tourism and key contributors to development financing and Foreign Direct Investments. 

Fittingly, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang and India’s Acting High Commissioner Arindam Bagchi will also address the respective sessions, offering a status update on economic relations with Sri Lanka and future potential. 

Insights into the way forward for Sri Lanka-China economic cooperation will be shared by Global Rubber Industries Ltd. Managing Director Prabhash Subasinghe and Hayleys Advantis Managing Director Ruwan Waidyaratne, while speaking on the future of Indo-Lanka economic relations will be Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. Group Managing Director Shea Wickramasingha, Brandix Lanka Ltd. CFO Hasitha Premaratne, Ceylon Chamber Chief Economist Anushka Wijesinha and Piramal Glass Ceylon Plc MD/CEO and Indian CEO Forum Immediate Past President Sanjay Tiwari, who is also the President of the Sri Lanka Ceramics and Glass Association.

Among other speakers to share key insights will be renowned economist Dr. Razeen Sally, who is the Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy and Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, as well as Institute of Policy Studies Research Fellow Dr. Janaka Wijeyasiri and Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to China Nihal Rodrigo. Strategic Partner HSBC is bringing three specialists exclusively to the forum. They are Regional Head of ‎ Belt and Road Initiative for Commercial Banking Director Sunil Hiranandani; HSBC India Managing Director and Head of Commercial Banking Rajat Verma and Global Head of RMB Internationalisation, HSBC Global Liquidity and Cash Management Vina Cheung while HSBC Sri Lanka CEO Mark Prothero will also speak.

The moderators for the China-Sri Lanka session will be Daily FT Editor Nisthar Cassim while former Central Bank Deputy Governor W.A. Wijewardena will be the moderator for the Indo-Lanka session.

To book your seat for tomorrow›s ‘Growing with the Giants’ forum call Andrea on 0768223926, Malsha on 0773095627, Canisies on 077 3891111 or Vidushan on 077 3706704 or email [email protected].‎