This visit follows Dissanayake’s first foreign trip to India in December, after assuming office on September 21….reports Asian Lite News
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will begin a three-day visit to China on January 14, marking 68 years of diplomatic relations between Colombo and Beijing, as confirmed by government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayathissa.
This visit follows Dissanayake’s first foreign trip to India in December, after assuming office on September 21. The president will be joined by senior ministers, including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayaka.
During a recent cabinet meeting, Sri Lanka reaffirmed its support for China’s “One China” policy, with Herath’s proposal gaining approval. Sri Lanka has long regarded Taiwan as a part of China.
In December, Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya met with Qin Boyong, Vice-Chairwoman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), where they reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global connectivity project. Despite India’s opposition to the BRI, Sri Lanka has embraced the initiative to enhance infrastructure development.
Dissanayake has also expressed gratitude to China for its ongoing support in restructuring Sri Lanka’s international debt. During his December visit to India, he assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Sri Lanka would not allow its territory to be used in ways that could harm India’s interests, especially regarding China.
Meanwhile, the Cinnamon Development Department of Sri Lanka aims to double the country’s annual cinnamon export revenue to $500 million in the next few years, up from the current $250 million.
Local media on Saturday quoting Janaka Lindara, chairman of the Department of Cinnamon Development, said that Sri Lanka produces approximately 25,000 metric tonnes of cinnamon annually, with around 19,000 metric tonnes being exported.
To boost production, the country plans to expand cinnamon cultivation into the North Central and North Western provinces, Lindara said.
Sri Lanka also seeks to strengthen its foothold in international markets such as China and the European Union. The department is promoting the production of value-added cinnamon products to maximise foreign exchange earnings, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier, on July 10, 2019, Sri Lanka emerged as the largest exporter of cinnamon in the world, according to an international market survey, local media reports said.
According to the survey titled “Cinnamon Market Growth, Trends and Forecast 2019-2024” compiled by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the demand for Sri Lankan cinnamon increased in countries such as Mexico, the United States, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Guatemala.
The major countries that imported cinnamon from Sri Lanka were Mexico, the United States, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.
The survey stated that Sri Lanka had also emerged as the fourth-largest producer of cinnamon in the world.
The Asia-Pacific region was the world’s leading producer of cinnamon, with Indonesia alone accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the total global output.
In 2018, Indonesia was the biggest cinnamon producer, followed by China, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan government had recently stated that it had taken steps to increase cinnamon production in the island country to target international markets.
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