Kingsley with business acumen in full flight in China

Being a businessman in the field of advertising he entered the politics in 1970s, and became the Chief Organiser of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) for Kaduwela area in 1977.

He entered Parliament in 1989 and became the Minister of Internal and International Trade, Commerce and Food in 1994. He when he lost the election in 2002 was asked by the then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to enter Parliament from the National list.

In 2000 he was invited by the Chinese government to establish the BOAO Asian Economic Forum, the first NGO in China. He was the Advisor to the President on International Trade and was later appointed as the Governor of the Southern Province.

Kingsley Wickramaratne, the new Sri Lanka Ambassador for China in an interview with the Sunday Observer staff journalist Shanika Sriyananda said that the bi-lateral agreements signed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa would bring significant impact to the country's development process in future.

Q: During the recent visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to China, several bi-lateral agreements have been signed. As the new Ambassador to the China how do you expect to put the agreements into practice?

A: Firstly I must congratulate the President for having an exceptionally successful visit to china. The visit coincided with 50 years of diplomatic relationships between the two counties had become a worldwide news because of the wide publicity given by the Central China TV and China Radio International.

The broadcasts and telecast were interpreted into 68 languages. Though it was the diplomatic relationship program between two countries it got international publicity which no other function or ceremony of that kind gained.

Remarkably, I would say that the bi-lateral agreements that entered during the visit of the President have a significant impact of the Sri Lanka's development and country's competitiveness in global business.

Q: So how will these agreements be a success in future?

A: It is important to have necessary support systems in place to implement these projects, which are to be commenced. Implementation is not an easy task but a ball game.

Agreements can be signed between government organisations, diplomats and Ministers of both countries but implementation here is done by other different agencies, especially in China and these implementing agencies are far away from other agencies.

That is why I told implementation is a different ball game and unless the government get them together and coordinate the implementation, it is difficult to achieve the ultimate goal.

Q: What are the steps that you are planning to take to make the implementation of these vital projects more effective?

A: I, as a member of the advisory committee of a powerful forum called BOAO Forum, which is the world economic forum for Asia. I have already arranged to hold meetings to put these agreements into the right track.

The BOAO Forum will be held from April 22 to 24 and meetings will be held with all the Chinese implementing agencies which signed the bi-lateral agreements. The representatives of government of Sri Lanka, including the Governor of the Central Bank, Secretary of the Treasury and the representatives from the President's Office will participate of these meetings.

Q: What is this BOAO Forum?

A: This Forum was started in a small village in the Southern part of the China called Boao. I took initiatives with the former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Fidel Ramos, the former President of Philippines to establish this Forum, which is now playing a vital role in highlighting the problems related to the Asian and Pacific countries.

This is the first NGO in China and 26 counties in the two regions have become members of the Forum. Over 3,000 top business corporations are also included in this.

What we do is, we meet in the city of Bova and discuss the world issues in advanced before going to the world bodies and go as a team. As an example when we are at the World Trade Organisation, we go as a one group and raised the issues together.

This is a very important process now and finally in front of the world bodies we raise our final thinking or the views together. Because, in this globalized world there is one economy and is heading to a one market. Earlier, the ideas or decisions originated in western countries and they were exported to Asia and the Pacific and we just took it. Our identity was lost and now with this Forum it is totally different.

Q: With lots of experience in the field of trade and commerce and being the former Minister of Food, International Trade and Commerce, what are your plans to promote trade between the two countries?

A: Trade between two countries is mainly depend on trust. There should be trust and certain degree of friendship to promote trade between countries. Even the business people enter into agreements because of trust and over thousands of business ventures are carried out on trust. So as the new Ambassador I want to strengthen the trust between the two countries further to promote the country's trade, culture and tourism.

I firmly believe that future of Sri Lanka is mainly dependant on tourism. As an island, tourism can bring more to the country. Though the trade between trade can play a big role in the country's economy tourism can develop the economy more.

Sri Lanka's biggest asset is the environment and not only in Sri Lanka but in all other island nations that derived lot from their environment. If there is no environment there will be nothing and then no tourism.

These island countries need to protect the environment and especially need to step into eco tourism. So my main objective is to promote trade and tourism and trade will be a part and parcel of the tourism.

Q: How are you going to achieve these objectives ?

A: We are going to market our historic cultural sites like Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura . We, Sri Lankans can be proud of our rich cultural heritage and the rain forests. My target is to promote eco-tourism in China.

Q: Chinese products have flooded the local market with cheap toys, medicine, porcelain ware and even garments. Do you have any plans to regularise the flowing of low quality products to the country?

A: This will hopefully change in future. China in future will be marketing according to the needs of each country. Things that they are manufacturing for US is the best quality products and for the Europe the products are little below the standard. The quality of Chinese products varies from region to region and there is a vast different in products manufacture for ASEAN and SAARC countries.

Under this new plan Government of Sri Lanka in future needs to lay down our own specifications before importing products from China, which is ready to produce things for that specific needs. We are now discussing this at the BOAO Forum.

Q: Does this give us hopes that we are getting high quality products from China?

A: Yes, in 10-years time we can have quality products from China but the Sri Lankan government needs to draft some standards, which are very important. Then there is a guarantee that we are not importing Chinese products which are below that standards. I hope to discuss this matter further at the Forum.

Q: Do you have any plans to promote local products in China?

A: That is my biggest plan. The number one is promoting Sri Lankan tea in China. Green tea is very popular in China and I want to promote Sri Lankan Black tea there.

Already plans are drawn to introduce Chinese green tea and Sri Lankan Back tea together in one packet. Then automatically the demand for our Black tea will go up.

Ground work has been completed to import our Black tea to China. Then in pack, that are marketed in China, there will be Chinese green tea and Sri Lankan Black tea. This is one of the easiest ways to get a high demand for local tea.

Coconut milk, copra and graphite are the other major local products that I am going to promote in the Chinese market. There is a good demand for coconut milk in China, Chinese people drink coconut milk as fruit drink and also there are medically proved evidences in China that those who use coconut milk in their food items live longer than others.

Their life span is much higher than others. So now in China there is a good demand for coconut milk and I have plans to export canned coconut milk to China. The other is trading in graphite.

Sri Lanka has the world's best quality graphites and exported to Taiwan, where it is mixed and sold for higher prices. We can start the mixing of graphite here itself to gain a higher profit but then the government should upgrade the existing mills, which are now over 60-years-old.

Q: What are your plans to promote tourism in China?

A: I believe our major attractions will be rain forests, national parks and historical places. These places need to be included in the world tourism itinerary to attract more tourists to the country. I hope to ask the local and foreign tour guide operators to include these places in their schedules.

Q: What are your targets in tourism?

A: Now the total number of tourists into the country according to the Sri Lanka Tourist Board is 600,000 and the Board targets one million tourists a year. But what I feel is that it is too much at for 50$. It is profitable to bring 250,000 tourists for $ 250. This way there will be less weight on environment and on the other hand there will be less pollution.

I am planning to get top class Chinese tourists. For an example it is very difficult to get visas to Bhutan as they do not want to entertain more tourists. What they want is not the number but the ones who can afford. Hotels are very expensive and we should also go for that kind of strategy. First we need to study the Chinese market.

Q: How you are going to lobby against the terrorism ?

A: The LTTE issue is coming to an end. There won't be a war in the future. What is important now is to create an infrastructure in the North East, especially in Batticaloa and Trincomalee areas. Especially there is a need for more jobs. Opening garment factories would be ideal and the government should give special concessionaries for those who open such factories in these areas.

Q: As a senior politician what is your main opinion about the national problem and how do you think that the country can experience peace?

A: At first the former President J.R. Jayewardene, who divided the country into nine parts, should be admired. I now firmly believe that if we adopted the J.R's proposals for devolution for full autonomy for regions, there would not be any room for war.

Q: You were one of the main politicians who were up in arms against the devolution. What do you say now?.

A: Yes, I am one of the few people from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, who objected to this proposal. Then we called it as a white elephant but after being the Governor of the Southern Province I fully realised the importance of having such a devolution system.

Q: Are you regretting now?

A: No. We had a good experience of opposing such a vital proposal to bring peace to the country. But there is still time. Now I think the best answer to solve such problems is implementing the JR's system fully.

When people of a region want to do even a minor repair they have to depend on the Central government. But they can solve their own problems within their region under their own leadership.

I am positive that the provincial council system was the best solution for the ethnic problem. It would also help to strengthen the development process of the country. But unfortunately he could not proceed with the plans because of the strong opposition came from the SLFP.