China and Sri Lanka, two ancient civilizations connected by more than a millennium of maritime exchanges, are seeking to deepen cultural ties and city-to-city cooperation as the port cities of Ningbo and Colombo opened a new chapter in their shared history on Saturday at a cultural exchange event.
Government officials, scholars and cultural leaders from both countries gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, for the "Encounter and Enlighten" Ningbo-Colombo Dialogue, exploring how the two historic maritime hubs — Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang province and Colombo — can strengthen cooperation in the areas of urban planning, cultural heritage, trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges through deeper civilizational dialogue.
Hu Kaihong, deputy director of the General Office of the Central Commission for Guiding Cultural and Ethical Progress, said that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka, offering an important opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries.
He called on the two nations to take the dialogue as a new starting point to enhance mutual understanding through exchanges and expand cooperation in industry, tourism and other sectors.
