Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona visited Jinan, Shandong Province, to accept the donation of 90 surgical mask making machines worth Yuan 17.74 million, from the DMI Group. Chairman of DMI group Shi Qianping and his team hosted Dr. Kohona.
The DMI group has close contacts with Sri Lanka, and its technology companies have sold many machines to Sri Lanka. They are looking forward to further cooperation with Sri Lanka. Chairman Shi said that he proposed to build a technical university in Sri Lanka, and that he will unite investors from the United Kingdom, Japan and the USA for this purpose.
He suggested that the two sides should strengthen the exchange of students, training and education. Chairman Shi also mentioned that Shandong province has a population of more than 100 million and that he hoped to strengthen tourism exchanges between Shandong province and Sri Lanka. He also suggested opening direct flights between Jinan and Colombo, which would make it more convenient for Chinese people from Shandong, including the surrounding provinces, to visit Sri Lanka. At the same time, more Sri Lankans would come to Shandong for tourism and study. He hoped that the epidemic will end soon, and he planned to visit Sri Lanka at the end of August or October. He hoped that Dr. Kohona could provide assistance for his visit.
Chairman Shi Qianping said he hoped that the DMI group could carry out agricultural cooperation with Sri Lanka. The DMI group hoped to purchase agricultural products from Sri Lanka, especially characteristic agricultural products such as black tea. Dr. Kohona was hosted to lunch by Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Jinan Dr. Sun Shutao.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Beijing
05 April 2021
