Sri Lanka and China’s Hainan Province have held talks in Colombo aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and expanding opportunities for cooperation ahead of a major consumer goods expo in China next year.
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Industries and Enterprise Development Sunil Handunnetti met on Tuesday with Yan Xijun, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial People’s Congress, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. The discussion centred on inviting a Sri Lankan delegation to participate in the China International Consumer Product Expo 2026 in Hainan.
Officials said the talks covered a wide range of economic areas, including the possibility of negotiating a free trade arrangement, enhancing agricultural imports and exports, and securing preferential tariff concessions for Sri Lankan products such as seafood, apparel, spices and other goods shipped through the Hainan port.
The two sides also examined investment prospects for Hainan-based companies in Sri Lanka, with particular interest in manufacturing, value-added exports and logistics.
Handunnetti welcomed the invitation to the consumer expo and confirmed Sri Lanka’s participation, calling it an opportunity to deepen trade ties and increase the visibility of Sri Lankan products in the Chinese market.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe, MP Sunil Rajapaksha, Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara, Export Development Board Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe and other Sri Lankan officials. Representatives from Hainan, including Mai Zhenghua and Ni Xingxu, were also present. (Newswire)