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Lanka’s exports to China up by 111.2% so far this year

Published

5 years ago

2021/11/13

Sri Lanka’s exports to China is up by 111.2% so far this year, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong said yesterday in a statement. He said that the two nations have been standing together and helping each other in the fighting against the pandemic.

Pointing out that Sri Lanka’s GDP achieved growth of 8% in the first half of this year, Zhenhong said the cooperation between two countries in trade, investment, finance, etc., also bore fruitful results, with the value of bilateral trade in goods up by 54.7% year on year for the first three quarters

“Major cooperation projects especially the Hambantota Port and Port City Colombo becoming new magnets to attract foreign investment. China looks forward to joining hands with Sri Lanka in defeating the Pandemic and promoting bilateral pragmatic cooperation to achieve new breakthroughs in the days to come; China is also willing to share development opportunities and draw up a blueprint for development with countries around the world to achieve greater and better development,” he said.

Zhenhong said that the Chinese economy is thriving despite the threat of the pandemic and that China’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached 82.31 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2021. This is a 9.8% increase over the same period last year at comparable prices, with an average two-year growth of 5.2%.

“Despite the continuous impact of COVID-19 worldwide, China’s economy was growing steadily. Its optimised and upgraded economy showed extraordinary resilience to pressure, contributed significantly to the stabilisation and restoration of the global supply chain, and injected much-needed confidence and impetus into the current world economy with uncertainty,” he said.

The Ambassador said that Sri Lanka can benefit from this thriving economy by increasing exports to identified areas. Admittedly, the Chinese economy is also faced with some challenges, including the unbalanced and inadequate development, factors restricting investment and consumer demand, structural contradiction of employment, uncertainty caused by the pandemic situation globally, and international commodity prices running high, etc., he said. However, these do not take from the indicators that the coming years would be good for the Chinese economy.

“China is striving to build a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and the domestic and international cycles reinforcing each other. The economic fundamentals that will sustain stable and long-term growth remain unchanged: major macro indicators have stayed within a reasonable range and the national economy maintains the trend of recovery; the economic structure has been adjusted and optimized and the quality and efficiency of development are improved; the deepening of reform and opening-up is advancing and economic development is getting stronger momentum; residents’ income continues to grow and people’s livelihood gets powerful and effective support.” he said.

Given below are excerpts from the statement: “First, the consumer price index (CPI) was at a relatively low level (up by 0.6% year on year). Prices of daily necessities were stable with a slight decline and food prices have dropped by 1.6%. Second, employment was generally stable. 10.45 million new jobs were created in urban areas, achieving 95% of this year’s target; surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2%. Third, steady progress was witnessed in the development of industries. The total output of summer grain and early rice increased by 3.69 million tons compared to last year and the sown area for autumn grain also expanded. The value added of high-tech manufacturing industry increased by 20.1% year on year with an average two-year growth of 12.8%. Fourth, foreign trade and investment grew rapidly. The trade value of goods increased by 22.7% year on year in the first three quarters, with widened trade surplus and optimized trade structure. Paid-in foreign investment continued to increase (up by 22.3% for the first eight months) and foreign exchange reserves remained stable, maintaining above USD 3.2 trillion for five consecutive months. Fifth, there was sustained recovery of domestic demand. Investment in the manufacturing industry and private investment achieved average two-year growth of 3.3% and 3.7% respectively. The per capita disposable income rose by 9.7% year on year, basically in line with GDP growth. Sixth, innovation and entrepreneurship gained sound momentum. China has moved up and ranks the 12th in WIPO’s “Global Innovation Index 2021″. Market entities have increased rapidly, with a total number of nearly 150 million and the overall level of activity around 70%. Seventh, the development vitality of enterprises was stimulated. For the first eight months, the value added of medium-sized industrial enterprises and micro and small ones above designated size increased by 16.3% and 14.1% year on year respectively and the total profit of industrial enterprises above designated size recorded an average two-year growth of 19.5%. Eighth, financing cost in general has been steadily decreasing. From January to August, the corporate loan interest rate was 4.63%, down by 0.13% over the same period of last year.”

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Cabinet Subcommittee on the Development of 25 Technical and Vocational Colleges meets under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister

Published

10 hours ago

2026/07/9

Priyan

The third meeting of the Cabinet Subcommittee appointed to oversee the development of 25 Technical and Vocational Colleges under the Department of Technical Education and Training was held today (09) at the Parliament Complex under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The meeting focused on the proposed development programme for the 25 Technical and Vocational Colleges as a key step towards expanding access to vocational education, implementing plans to strengthen infrastructure, and creating new pathways for technical and vocational education in Sri Lanka. Members held detailed discussions on the measures required to advance these objectives.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation and Energy, Anura Karunathilaka,the Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Dr. Upali Pannilage, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Representatives of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka meet the Prime Minister

Published

10 hours ago

2026/07/9

Priyan

Representatives of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Wednesday (08) at the Parliament premises.

During the discussion, the OPA representatives stated that the organization intends to establish a mechanism to provide direct professional advice to members of the public facing issues across various sectors. They also noted that OPA plans to implement special programmes to offer pre-advice and guidance through its member professional associations to people encountering issues in fields such as agriculture, construction, medicine, and law.

The Prime Minister commended the contribution made by professionals towards enhancing professional standards in the country and advancing national development. The Prime Minister further stated that the Government is ready to support efforts aimed at strengthening professionalism and fostering the sense of national service in the country.

The meeting was attended by the President of OPA, Vice President, and other office bearers of the Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Latest News

District Secretaries’ Conference Chaired by the President

Published

10 hours ago

2026/07/9

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the Government plans to allocate a separate contingency fund for every district under the forthcoming Budget, enabling District Secretaries to carry out urgent repairs to bridges, roads and public buildings identified at District Coordination Committee meetings without having to wait for approval from the Central Government.

The President also emphasised that the Government’s foremost priority is to address the basic needs of the people without delay.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks while attending the District Secretaries’ Conference held this morning (09) at the Colombo District Secretariat.

The conference was convened with the objective of strengthening coordination among relevant stakeholders to ensure the more efficient and effective delivery of public services, while promoting district-level economic development by discussing local issues and identifying appropriate solutions.

The discussions also focused on reviewing the progress of district development projects, enhancing coordination between ministries and government institutions, identifying issues at the district level, proposing practical solutions, and assigning responsibilities and follow-up actions.

It was further emphasised that, in the interest of public safety, Divisional Secretaries should prevent people from resettling in areas identified as high-risk and refrain from approving basic utility services, including electricity and water, for such locations.

The President also reviewed the progress of efforts to establish a special authority with statutory powers to manage environmentally sensitive land in the Central Hills. It was noted that the relevant draft legislation has already been prepared and that the new authority is expected to commence operations next year.

The President further stressed that resolving the housing issues faced by war-displaced communities remains a Government priority, adding that plans are in place to resettle 13,000 war-displaced families during the coming year.

He also highlighted the need to systematically implement a programme to relocate people living in areas that are repeatedly affected by floods and landslides to safe and secure housing.

The President also drew attention to housing projects that had been initiated in an unplanned manner for various reasons, including political considerations, and subsequently abandoned midway. He stated that the Government intends to conduct a rapid survey to identify only those projects that are genuinely required by the public and implement a housing assistance programme to provide financial support for the completion of those houses.

The President further emphasised the importance of carrying out housing and other construction projects in accordance with a proper planning framework. He pointed out that numerous issues had arisen as a result of unplanned construction in the Southern Province and stressed that development in the Northern and Eastern Provinces should be undertaken in line with a systematic development plan.

He also noted that, while taking public needs into consideration, the Government is focusing on releasing privately owned land currently under the control of military camps. At the same time, attention is being given to making other large tracts of land available for investment. The President further stressed that, when allocating land for cultivation, measures must be taken to safeguard forest reserves and wildlife protection zones.

Reiterating the need for comprehensive public sector reforms to deliver a high-quality public service, the President stated that plans are in place to abolish non-productive institutions in order to improve the efficiency of the public service.

He further noted that steps have already been taken to fill vacancies in essential sectors, including health and education. The President also pointed out that measures are being taken to urgently fill vacancies in the Department of the Government Analyst in order to address delays in the issuance of Government Analyst reports, which have contributed to prison overcrowding.

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Professor Chandana Abeyratne, Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Ruwan Senarath, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Aloka Bandara, Ministry Secretaries, all District Secretaries, Heads of Departments and other senior government officials were also present.

[PMD]