Port cities seek closer China-Sri Lanka ties

China and Sri Lanka, two ancient civilizations connected by more than a millennium of maritime exchanges, are seeking to deepen cultural ties and city-to-city cooperation as the port cities of Ningbo and Colombo opened a new chapter in their shared history on Saturday at a cultural exchange event.

Government officials, scholars and cultural leaders from both countries gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, for the "Encounter and Enlighten" Ningbo-Colombo Dialogue, exploring how the two historic maritime hubs — Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang province and Colombo — can strengthen cooperation in the areas of urban planning, cultural heritage, trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges through deeper civilizational dialogue.

Hu Kaihong, deputy director of the General Office of the Central Commission for Guiding Cultural and Ethical Progress, said that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka, offering an important opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He called on the two nations to take the dialogue as a new starting point to enhance mutual understanding through exchanges and expand cooperation in industry, tourism and other sectors.

"By learning from one another, we can bring our people closer, deepen mutual understanding and friendship, ensure that our longstanding friendship continues to flourish across generations, and together write a new chapter of civilizational exchange and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Sri Lanka in the new era," he said.

Vraie Cally Balthazaar, the mayor of Colombo, said that beyond their shared status as historic maritime gateways, both cities have played significant roles in facilitating trade, fostering cultural exchanges and contributing to the prosperity of their respective nations.

"Today, we are not only celebrating our shared history, but also looking to the future," she said, adding that the Sri Lankan capital looks forward to greater knowledge exchanges and broader pragmatic cooperation.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong said the friendship between the two countries has been forged through centuries of exchanges along the Maritime Silk Road.

He recalled the journeys of the Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian to Sri Lanka in search of Buddhist scriptures, the voyages of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) navigator Zheng He, and the historic Rubber-Rice Pact signed in 1952 despite external pressure — milestones that he said have shaped bilateral ties.

Looking ahead, Qi said the dialogue could serve as a new platform to expand cooperation between Ningbo and Colombo in trade, industry, science and technology, and cultural exchanges.

He also called for better leveraging the complementary strengths of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world's largest port by cargo throughput, and the Port of Colombo to expand bilateral trade and investment, while contributing to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Ranji Weragoda, chairman of Sri Lanka-China Trade, Commerce and Economic Council at the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, said the dialogue should lead to practical and long-term cooperation, including regular exchange programs for young artists, joint coastal tourism initiatives, and research on maritime civilization and smart port collaboration.

For Gamini Ranasinghe, a professor of history and archaeology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, archaeological discoveries offer compelling evidence of the deep historical ties linking the two civilizations.

Chinese shipwrecks, coins and celadon unearthed at several Sri Lankan ports testify to centuries of maritime commerce, he noted.

Together with Buddhist relics found in both countries, he said, these discoveries illustrate the long history of cultural exchanges along the Maritime Silk Road.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn