President asks China to set up joint ventures in Sri Lanka
[September 1, 2005 - 10.30 GMT]

President Chandrika Kumaratunga addressed an elite gathering of business leaders in Beijing yesterday and invited Chinese businesses to setup joint ventures in Sri Lanka. President Kumaratunga told the entrepreneurs that a healthy environment for investment prevails in Sri Lanka.

Kumaratunga said Sri Lanka’s trade and tariff policy is moving towards an increasingly lower tariff regime and that Sri Lanka has always followed a liberal and free market economic policy since liberalizing her economic policies in the 70’s.

President Kumaratunga said economic relations was not merely a matter of buying and selling but that there were diverse areas of economic cooperation, such as joint ventures, contractual and consultancy services for various mega infrastructure projects including power, transport and communications.

The President Kumaratunga said, “China’s own economic performance has been stupendous in the past decades. We would very much like to enhance and deepen our economic ties with you.”

Kumaratunga ended her speech with a quote from late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, “Sri Lanka wishes China to succeed, and trusts China to exercise responsibly and constructively the enormous power and influence that will necessarily accompany great economic success.”

The seminar on Investment, Tourism and Trade Promotion was held at the Kerry Centre in Beijing.

 PRINT THIS STORY

Contact Information: Send mail to gosl@presidentsl.org with questions or comments about this web site. 
Last Updated Date: September 1, 2005 - 10.30 GMT