CIIE ideal opportunity for Sri Lankan exporters, says official

COLOMBO -- The third China International Import Expo (CIIE) is an ideal opportunity for Sri Lankan exporters to tap China's vast consumer market, a Sri Lankan official has said.

Anoma Premathilake, director of Market Development of Sri Lanka's Export Development Board (EDB), told Xinhua in a recent interview that Sri Lankan exporters have been participating in the CIIE since it started in 2018 and found it an ideal venue to engage with Chinese consumers.

"We are very happy that the Chinese government has organized this type of import expo, and we look forward to continuing participating in this event as Sri Lankan companies have achieved good results there," she said.

The process for joining the CIIE has consistently been smooth and methodical due to digitization. The EDB is assisting small- and medium-sized enterprises which are faced with difficulties due to language barriers and lack of access to online platforms, the official said.

Though a total of 30 Sri Lankan exporters have registered for the CIIE this year, only seven companies will participate in the exhibition through their local agents, due to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Premathilake said.

The EDB has previously launched successful promotion activities in China and is currently focusing on marketing products, including apparel, fresh and processed food, as well as wood and wooden products, Premathilake said.

"Sri Lanka is primarily sending commodities to China, but in the long-run we hope to export more value-added products," she said.