Sri Lanka is taking part in the 11th Belt and Road Summit 2026 in Hong Kong, with Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe representing the country at the high‑level state diplomatic and commercial conference.
The summit, jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, began today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and will continue until September 10.
Held under the theme “Advancing High‑Quality Development · Embarking on a New Journey”, the event aims to strengthen trade, investment, supply chain linkages, and economic cooperation among Asian and Belt and Road partner countries.
Minister Samarasinghe participated in one of the summit’s foremost policy dialogue sessions, “Building Resilient Trade and Investment Frameworks in a Diverse Global Landscape”, where discussions focused on addressing global economic and trade challenges, reinforcing regional and international trade relations, and creating transparent and sustainable investment opportunities under the Belt and Road initiative.
Speaking at the session, the Minister highlighted Sri Lanka’s potential as a regional maritime and trade hub, the importance of opening new foreign markets for domestic products, and the need to attract value‑added investments to the country.
The policy dialogue was chaired by Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong, and included participation from ministers and representatives of Bangladesh, Thailand, Qatar, Kazakhstan, and Timor‑Leste alongside Sri Lanka. (Newswire)