A parliamentary delegation of 20 Members of Parliament and four officials is visiting China for a workshop hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Beijing’s top economic planning body.
The delegation is led by Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Deputy Minister of Mass Media, and is scheduled to spend the period from May 26 to June 5 in China. The programme covers visits to Beijing and Guangdong province, the manufacturing and export hub in the country’s south.
The visit is part of ongoing parliamentary exchange and capacity-building cooperation between Sri Lanka and China, which has long been one of Colombo’s largest bilateral lenders and infrastructure partners.
The trip comes as Sri Lanka continues to balance ties with its two major external partners. Veteran diplomat-turned-commentator and government figures have flagged the intensifying China-India rivalry as a strategic challenge for the island, even as cultural and educational links such as a new Chinese language centre in Akurana continue to expand.
Update — Post-trip readout, June 12: The delegation returned to Colombo on June 5 after completing the May 26–June 4 programme organised by the International Cooperation Center of the NDRC, Newswire reported. Members attended sessions led by Chinese academics, researchers and officials on China’s governance framework, development strategy, democratic consultation mechanisms and national policy direction, and visited the National People’s Congress Conference Hall and the Great Hall of the People. The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing hosted a reception on May 29 to mark International Tea Day, showcasing Sri Lankan tea. The programme continued in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, where MPs observed smart infrastructure, advanced technology, communications, agriculture and new energy projects. A Parliament statement said the workshop provided a platform for parliamentary diplomacy, institutional exchange and knowledge-sharing between the two countries.
Sources: Island — 20 lawmakers, four officials visiting China; Newswire — Sri Lankan Parliamentary Delegation completes workshop in China.
