The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing, with Sri Lankan businesses operating in China, has taken part in the 11th “Colourful World” Cultural Exhibition and Exchange Event, running from 9 to 13 September, Hiru News reported, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sri Lanka’s participation focused on promoting Ceylon Tea and traditional Sri Lankan handicrafts.
The event is a flagship component of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), co-hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Beijing Municipal Government. CIFTIS is one of China’s three largest state-backed trade fairs and is oriented toward services rather than goods, which makes it an unusual venue for a tea and handicrafts stand.
The embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires a.i. and embassy officials attended the opening ceremony on 9 September and met participants and media representatives.
Why the China market matters for tea
China is a comparatively small buyer of Ceylon Tea by volume against Sri Lanka’s Middle Eastern and Russian markets, but it is the market the industry has been pushed hardest toward as traditional buyers have become less reliable. Gulf demand has been disrupted by the regional conflict, and promotional activity in China has accordingly been stepped up across trade fairs, tourism roadshows and embassy-led events over the past year.
The exhibition is the latest in a series of such appearances rather than a standalone initiative.
Not reported
Hiru’s report is brief and carries no commercial detail. It does not say how many Sri Lankan companies took part, which firms or brands were represented, or whether the Sri Lanka Tea Board or the Export Development Board was involved.
It does not name the Chargé d’Affaires, give any figure for orders, enquiries or visitor numbers, or state what the participation cost or who funded it. No current trade figure is given for Sri Lankan tea or handicraft exports to China, and no target is attached to the exercise.
No other verified newsroom appears to have filed on Sri Lanka’s participation. A search across the Daily Mirror, Ada Derana, NewsFirst, the Island, Daily FT, Daily News, news.lk, EconomyNext and Lanka Business Online returned only coverage of earlier Sri Lankan exhibitions in China — the 20th Beijing International Tea and Tea Ceremony expo, the China–South Asia Exposition and the “Made in Sri Lanka” embassy showcase — and nothing on this event.
