Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka in September, is blessed with a gentle sea breeze and lush green clouds. The 2026 China Sri Lanka Media Cooperation and Exchange Seminar, with the theme of "Trust and Win win - Media Responsibility in the Context of China Sri Lanka Community of Shared Future", was recently held in Colombo. Guests from government departments, media, think tanks, universities and other institutions of China and Sri Lanka attended the meeting. Both China and Sri Lanka jointly released the Colombo Initiative for China Sri Lanka Media Cooperation and the Action Plan for China Sri Lanka Media Cooperation. Attendees expressed that the friendship between China and Sri Lanka has lasted for a long time, and the media is the witness, recorder, and promoter of the friendship between the two countries. We need to further continue the traditional friendship, promote people to people exchanges, and tell the wonderful story of working together to build a community with a shared future between China and Sri Lanka.

The continuous deepening of Sri Lanka China relations has been vividly reflected in the field of media cooperation

Sri Lanka is one of the first countries to respond to the the Belt and Road Initiative. In recent years, China and Sri Lanka have jointly built the "the Belt and Road" with high quality and fruitful practical cooperation: from Colombo Port City, which starts from the sea, to Hambantota Port, which starts from the sea, from the China Sri Lanka Water Center project, which protects the people's livelihood, to the school uniform fabric assistance that benefits local students, from the increasing number of Chinese made electric vehicles on the streets of Colombo, to the exploration and cooperation in green development, agricultural technology, artificial intelligence and other emerging fields, a series of practical cooperation projects have effectively promoted the economic and social development of Sri Lanka and continued to improve the well-being of the people. These vivid cases of cooperation between China and Sri Lanka provide rich coverage for the media of both countries.

Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Koshariya Aliaratne, stated at the seminar that in recent years, Sri Lanka China relations have continued to develop, and both countries are moving towards building a closer Sri Lanka China community with a shared future. The continuous deepening of Sri Lanka China relations has been vividly reflected in the field of media cooperation, "said Aliyaratne. The increasingly close media cooperation between Sri Lanka and China demonstrates that the media is no longer just a medium for transmitting information, but has become an important tool for promoting mutual understanding and enhancing cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

In recent years, media exchanges and interactions between China and Sri Lanka have been frequent, and cooperation projects have been effective. In January 2025, under the joint witness of the two heads of state, China Central Television signed a memorandum of cooperation with Sri Lanka National Television, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Authority, and Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in Beijing, covering multiple fields such as content exchange, program production, technical exchange, joint activities, and personnel exchanges. In June 2026, representatives of journalists from more than 10 media organizations in Sri Lanka went to Yunnan Province to participate in training activities, covering Kunming, Pu'er, Yuxi and other places, recording China's development stories in field interviews. The "Chinese Theater" program of Sri Lanka's national television station has successively broadcasted Sinhalese translated versions of many Chinese TV dramas such as "Journey to the West," "Water Margin," "Ode to Joy," and "The Three Body Problem," which have been widely welcomed by local audiences. Representatives from the Sri Lankan media have also visited China multiple times to participate in exchange activities such as audio-visual weeks, media seminars, and joint interviews.

Sri Lanka National Television Director Jihan Silva told our reporter that Sri Lanka National Television has always attached great importance to media cooperation between Sri Lanka and China, actively participated in exchanges in various fields between the two countries, and carried out rich cooperation with Chinese media. 2027 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and China. As the mainstream media of Sri Lanka, we hope to further strengthen media technology sharing and program content exchange with our Chinese partners, and promote more fruitful cooperation between Sri Lanka and China's media.

Promote the strengthening of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between Sri Lanka and China in the new era

Both China and Sri Lanka have a long history of civilization and splendid culture. The two countries not only have a thousand year Buddhist relationship initiated by the eminent monk Faxian, a historical bond formed by Zheng He's seven voyages to the sea, but also the "Mi Jiao Agreement" that proves true feelings in times of hardship, and touching stories of mutual assistance between the two peoples... The Sri Lankan guests attending the seminar expressed that Sri Lankan and Chinese media should further deepen cooperation, broaden communication platforms, pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries to the younger generation, and let Sri Lankan and Chinese civilizations learn from each other and unleash new vitality in the new era.

Manoi Ginadasa, Director of the Department of Mass Communication at the School of Social Sciences of Kelaniya University in Sri Lanka, said that the inheritance of Sri Lanka China friendship cannot be separated from the joint efforts of the media of the two countries. "In addition to telling the story of cooperation between the two countries, Sri Lanka and China's media need to convey their own voices to each other's people, enhance mutual understanding, and strengthen the public opinion foundation for Sri Lanka China friendship." Ginadasa, based on his experience of training in Yunnan, China in June this year, said that artificial intelligence has been widely applied throughout China and will empower Sri Lanka China media cooperation in the future, promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Tea culture is a natural bond that connects the friendly people of China and Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's Ceylon black tea is world-renowned, while Yunnan, China, is the birthplace of tea trees in the world. Outside the seminar venue, the Yunnan South Asia Southeast Asia Regional International Communication Center and the Sri Lanka China Social and Cultural Cooperation Association invited tea merchants from both countries to promote high-quality tea. Sri Lankan tea merchant Lasni told reporters that he has formed a bond with China through tea and has visited Yunnan several times to participate in tea industry exhibitions. He has introduced tea products to Chinese partners and helped tea merchants and farmers from both countries achieve win-win results.

Sri Lankan senior journalist and TV host Dumingdu Vikramasinghe stated at the seminar that Sri Lanka and China have a history of exchanging tea culture and the maritime Silk Road that spans thousands of years. The media should serve as a bridge and link between Sri Lanka and China, promoting mutual understanding and closeness between the two peoples through authentic, warm, and in-depth news reports, and facilitating cultural exchanges and mutual learning between Sri Lanka and China in the new era, "said Vikramasinghe.

The joint development of Sri Lanka and China cannot be achieved without the media of both countries walking side by side

Currently, the discourse power of countries in the global South is constantly increasing in global governance. The Sri Lankan guests attending the seminar expressed that the Sri Lankan and Chinese media have a responsibility to strengthen coordination and cooperation on international communication issues, and to voice a common voice in areas such as climate change, poverty reduction and development, and global governance. They should use the wisdom and solutions of the global South to jointly promote the development of the global governance system towards a more just and reasonable direction.

Apkuti Sri Yananda, a senior reporter for Sri Lanka's Daily Financial Times, stated that Sri Lankan and Chinese media need to deepen pragmatic cooperation, promote news sharing, and institutionalize and normalize cross-cultural content creation. They should speak out together on international issues such as poverty reduction, climate change, and technological innovation, and jointly create high-quality media products.

Telling the wonderful story of building a community of shared future between Sri Lanka and China together is the responsibility of the media of both countries, "said Tisa Ravinda Pereira, a professor at the School of Management and Finance at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka." The joint development of Sri Lanka and China cannot be achieved without the media of both countries walking side by side

Representatives from Chinese media such as People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Central Radio and Television Station, and China Daily engaged in dialogue and sharing with representatives from Sri Lanka during the roundtable discussion session of the seminar, focusing on the two themes of "Practice and Significance of Building a Community of Shared Future Together" and "Deepening Media Exchange and Cooperation and People to People Connectivity between China and Sri Lanka".

Chinese media representatives stated that as China and Sri Lanka deepen their friendship through economic cooperation, regional connectivity, infrastructure construction, cultural and technological exchanges, the role of media institutions is becoming increasingly prominent. The media should responsibly report on development achievements, clearly explain the connotation of cooperation, promote mutual respect, and work together to deepen and implement the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Sri Lanka.

The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Wei Huaxiang, stated that the two outcomes released at this seminar, the Colombo Initiative for China Sri Lanka Media Cooperation and the Action Plan for China Sri Lanka Media Cooperation, are important measures to implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries and promote practical cooperation between China and Sri Lanka media. They have gathered the common expectations of both sides for deepening media exchanges and cooperation, and have planned a new path for media exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.