The Research Division of the Bandaranaike Center for International studies organized a Roundtable Discussion on ‘Chinese Investments in Sri Lanka and Sino-Sri Lanka Trade Relations’ with the delegation of Institute of International Relations (IIR) in Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) on 16th May 2024.
IIR is one of 17 research institutes in SASS, which ranks among the 25 China top Think Tanks. SASS is also the second biggest academic organization and comprehensive research center in the field of philosophy and Social Science in China. IIR currently has nearly 50 research fellows in 7 research departments: International Strategy and China’s Diplomacy, East Asia Studies, America Studies, European Studies, Russia and Central Asia Studies, The Middle East Studies, South Asia and Indian Ocean Studies, administrative office and editorial office of the Journal of International Relations.
Professor Wang Jian is the current Director of IIR, who visited BCIS with the following three delegates:
- Prof. Tang Wei – Research Associate of SASS
- Dr. Liu Jinqian – Associate Professor of SASS
- Dr. Wang Chengzhi – Research Fellow of SASS
During his speech Prof Wang Jiang described China’s vision of development and its areas of focus: global development (2021), global security (2022) and global civilizations (2023). He also emphasized that China’s approach to development policies are that it should be people centered, consistent with UN SDGs and combined with technological advancements. The enhanced relationships with the countries of the Global South, with mutual respect for diplomatic and trade partners was emphasized.
The questions and answer session with Sri Lankan experts was enriched with active participation from the audience raising inquiries on how Sri Lanka can avoid economic crisis recurrence. The discussions also addressed the importance of transparency in development planning, investments and economic cooperation. At the same time, the ongoing unification of the internal market and sustainability of infrastructure development of China were discussed and what Sri Lanka could learn from it.
The discussion ended with fellowship and presentation of a token of appreciation from the Chinese delegation.
