Presidential Special Envoy for Foreign Investment and Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof chaired a high-level virtual roundtable with representatives from major US corporations on April 23, positioning Sri Lanka as a strategic investment platform for the wider South Asian region.
Companies represented in the session included SpaceX, Apple, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Visa, Boeing, Chevron, Corteva, Meta, Google and Airbnb. The roundtable was facilitated by US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap and the US Chamber of Commerce.
In a statement on X, Yusoof said he had highlighted Sri Lanka’s potential “not only as a standalone market but also as a strategic platform to serve the wider South Asian region.” He said he was committed to advancing President Anura Dissanayake’s investment agenda and securing long-term partnerships with global business leaders.
The roundtable comes while bilateral economic relations are under strain from Washington’s 44% reciprocal tariff framework, currently in a 90-day pause set to expire in July. The presence of aerospace and defence-adjacent firms such as SpaceX and Boeing alongside consumer technology, payments and agribusiness majors suggests the government is pursuing multiple industry verticals rather than a single apparel-focused pitch.
Sri Lanka’s investment narrative has leaned heavily on the Colombo Port City and logistics corridor projects in recent months, but the April 23 session marks one of the first multi-sector pitches to a Silicon Valley–aligned roster since the NPP government took office. No concrete investment pledges or memoranda were announced in the readout.
Source: Newswire
