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| Sunday, 25 May 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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China promises improved trade and economic ties by Elmo Leonard Chinese Ambassador, Sun Guoxiang would do all in his power to improve economic and trade ties between Sri Lanka and China, he said at the opening of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre in Colombo. An international industrial fair and travel mart, the first trade event to be held at the venue, opened on the same day. The new exhibition centre is a smaller replica of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), built by the Chinese 30 years ago. Both buildings stand on the same property. It cost Rs 500 million, and was built in 600 days. The Travel Mart had the participation of the Maldives, Nepal and other South Asian countries. Minister of Tourism, Gamini Lokuge was pleased that the first travel mart in the island brought with it potential tourism buyers from all over. Lokuge said that local travel agents should exploit the potential of South Asian tourists. Minister of Industries, Rohitha Bogollagama said that in the past, as Chairman of the Board of Investment, he had lured foreign investment into the country. Now, his task was to develop small and medium industries, he said, and promised to assist in the betterment of the sector. Bogollagama cited the lack of raw material and technological know-how as two constraints to the country's industrial development. He regretted that Sri Lanka had not spent enough time and money to acquire and develop technology. The Minister hoped to foster industrial cooperation with India and China and acquire technology from these nations for the benefit of the local SME sector. |
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