As a pioneering member of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it is now opportune for Sri Lanka to further develop its cooperation with China. Milinda Moragoda, Founder, Pathfinder Foundation stated during a discussion with the six member delegation from China’s Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences (YASS) and its affiliate Academy of South and Southeast Asia Studies. Prof He Zukun, President of YASS, appreciating the Pathfinder Foundation, highlighted the strategic significance of Sri Lanka in the Maritime Silk Road. He emphasized the Academy’s willingness to study the ways that Sri Lanka can benefit from the BRI.
The PF team outlined the progress made by its affiliate the China-Sri Lanka cooperation Studies Center and appreciated the assistance extended by the Embassy of China by assigning Chinese scholars to the Center. Both parties agreed to work for a joint action program. The Chinese delegation included: Prof He Zukun – President, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences; Prof Xiao Jihong – Director, Institute of Religious Studies; Deng Lan – Deputy Director/Associate Professor, Institute of Indian Studies; Song Haixiao – Associate Professor, Institute of Indian Studies; Wang Chengxi – Deputy Director, Department of Party Affairs, and Yin Yan E – Junior Research Fellow, Chinese (Kunming) Academy of South and South Asian Studies & Institute for Indian Studies
