Xi's book wins over forum in Sri Lanka

After reading the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Madhura Senevirathna, Sri Lanka's deputy minister of education and higher education, said that the book's emphasis on education and cultural preservation "offers valuable lessons for any nation seeking to navigate the 21st century without losing its historical soul".

The observation, shared at a readers' forum in Colombo on Friday, reflected what participants described as the book's broader significance, which is offering insights into China's governance philosophy while illustrating an approach to modernization that has attracted growing international interest.

Senevirathna described the volume as "a detailed theoretical guide for national development", presenting a clear architecture for Chinese modernization and outlining a highly interconnected system that relies on a socialist foundation, economic reform, scientific innovation, modern education, and the deep preservation of cultural heritage.

"By studying the road map presented in this book, especially its mandate to radically modernize education while fiercely preserving traditional civilization, leaders everywhere can find a pragmatic, balanced approach to governance in a complex world," he said.

The fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China contains 91 spoken and written works of President Xi Jinping from May 27, 2022, to Dec 20, 2024.

The forum on Friday brought together hundreds of representatives from Sri Lanka's political, academic, publishing and media communities to discuss the book's relevance to governance and development.

Jagath Wickramaratne, speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, said the publication provides valuable insights into China's vision of governance, development, reform, innovation and international cooperation.

Wickramaratne said that Xi's philosophy has guided China's remarkable transformation and continues to shape its pursuit of high-quality development.

"Beyond documenting China's development experience, the book also presents perspectives on global peace, shared prosperity, and building stronger partnerships among nations," he said at the forum.

"China has remained a valued development partner for Sri Lanka, supporting major infrastructure, trade, education, tourism, healthcare and cultural exchanges. These partnerships have contributed to Sri Lanka's socioeconomic development while strengthening the bonds between our two peoples," Wickramaratne said.

As the Belt and Road Initiative advances into a new stage of high-quality development, Sri Lanka looks forward to strengthening sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation with China while jointly promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, he added.

Economic ties between China and Sri Lanka can be traced back to 1952, when the two nations signed the historic Rubber-Rice Pact, opening the door to modern cooperation between them.

Trade between the two countries increased 15 percent year-on-year to $6.16 billion in 2025, according to China's General Administration of Customs.

Sanjeewa Wimalagunarathna, director of public relations at the Open University of Sri Lanka, said that Xi's vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity is already reflected in the expanding partnership between China and Sri Lanka across education, infrastructure, healthcare, poverty reduction, technology and cultural exchanges.

As the South Asian country continues its economic recovery and advances national initiatives, China's experience provides valuable insights into evidence-based policymaking, precise beneficiary targeting, rural revitalization, long-term planning and effective public administration, he said.

Geeganage Weerasinghe, general secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, said that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is not only the Marxism of contemporary China, but also the Marxism of the 21st century.

"Chinese modernization has completely broken the myth that 'modernization equals Westernization, and equals capitalization'," he added.