Colombo held China-Sri Lanka Media Cooperation and Exchange Seminar
By Sun Guangyong, Zhao Yipu | People’s Daily
Colombo, (People’s Daily) — The 2026 China-Sri Lanka Media Cooperation and Exchange Seminar was held on Friday afternoon in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Under the theme “Trust and Win-Win: Media Responsibility in Building the China–Sri Lanka Community with a Shared Future”, the seminar attracted over 80 attendees from government, media, think tanks, and universities in both nations.
Participants discussed on topics such as building China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future, deepening the strategic partnership between the two nations, enhancing media cooperation, and fostering closer ties between their peoples.
In her remarks, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, the Deputy Minister of Mass Media of Sri Lanka, noted the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and China and emphasized that the media should contribute to China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future.
“ technology and media have become increasingly important in shaping contemporary relations.” The Deputy Minister added that the development of China Sri Lanka media cooperation in recent years demonstrates this evolving relationship.
Wei Huaxiang, Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka, pointed out that China and Sri Lanka enjoy long-standing friendship, and nowadays, bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has borne abundant fruit. The media are important witnesses, chroniclers and promoters of this path of friendship.
“Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Sri Lanka, and the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Rubber-Rice Pact. Ambassador Wei viewed that Chinese and Sri Lankan media should serve as a bridge for telling new stories of sincere mutual assistance, everlasting friendship, and win-win cooperation toward a shared future between China and Sri Lanka in the new era.” Wei added.
During the roundtable discussion, representatives from Chinese and Sri Lankan media outlets—including The Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), Daily FT, TV Derana, as well as People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and China Daily—engaged in dialogue.
The seminar also launched two outcomes documents—Colombo Initiative on China-Sri Lanka Media Cooperation and China-Sri Lanka Media Cooperation Action Plan.
The seminar was hosted by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, and organized by Yunnan International Communication Center for South and Southeast Asia and the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation.
(Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, the Deputy Minister of Mass Media of Sri Lanka, delivers a speech during the seminar.)
(A scene at the roundtable session.)
