Sri Lanka has sought China’s cooperation to develop its bamboo industry, improve forest fire management and strengthen forestry training, the Daily Mirror reported.
Environment Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody made the call while addressing a ministerial-level workshop on “Forest Resource Management and Green Development”, held under China’s Global Development Initiative. He requested Chinese support for developing the country’s bamboo sector, managing forest fires and improving the Forest College and related training programmes.
The Deputy Minister called for wider international cooperation to address shared environmental challenges, framing the requests as part of Sri Lanka’s efforts to build resilience and expand sustainable, forest-based livelihoods. Bamboo has been promoted internationally as a fast-growing, renewable resource with applications ranging from construction to handicrafts.
The workshop, held from July 24 to 30, brought together officials from Sri Lanka, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Liberia, Malaysia, Namibia and Thailand, according to the report. Such forums are part of Beijing’s broader development-cooperation outreach with countries across Asia and Africa.
Sri Lanka has faced recurring forest fires during dry spells in recent years, straining the resources of the Forest Department and firefighting services. Officials say technical assistance and training could help build capacity to prevent and respond to such fires while supporting green-industry development.
