Chiranjaya Udumullage, president of the China Sri Lanka Association for Trade and Economic Cooperation, has an interview with the Global Times at the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, on November 7, 2023. Photo: Chu Daye/GT

Foreign businesspeople who eye China's huge market potential are taking advantage of the rapidly rising livestreaming and e-commerce sectors, with Chiranjaya Udumullage, president of the China Sri Lanka Association for Trade and Economic Cooperation, being one of them. Through livestreaming, Udumullage can introduce his country's local products to more Chinese consumers, he told the Global Times at the ongoing 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Monday.  

Udumullage expressed his excitement for bringing more new products to the Chinese market including cashews, chocolate and instant noodles. He said that he saw a huge number of visitors coming to the pavilion and trying the products with great interest.  

Udumullage said that he would run into people who told him that they watched his livestream show and asked for selfies. 

Udumullage noted that China is a big market with a population of 1.4 billion and great purchasing power, and livestreaming can reach customers fast. 

The official Douyi account of the Sri Lanka National Pavilion has more than 650,000 followers. Udumullage noted that consumers have shown interest in popular products like tea and coconut products. He added that the platform will not only promote Sri Lankan products, but also help promote the country's culture and tourism, as well as bilateral relations. 

As 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Udumullage said that he saw a huge number of exhibition participants this year, and he is expecting to get more deals while connecting with Chinese agents to reach more consumers in China.  

Another example is Giguruwa Gamage Sathyajith Prasada from Sri Lanka, who has participated in the CIIE every year since the first one in 2018. During the first session, Prasada's company rented a small booth within the Sri Lanka Pavilion to promote his country's Ceylon tea, according to an article released by the CIIE Bureau on its website.  

This move helped the company grow rapidly in the following years - its turnover in 2020 was more than three times that of previous years and the annual growth rate of sales has averaged 60 percent, according to the article. 

Sri Lanka was among the earliest countries to join the BRI, and bilateral cooperation under the BRI has seen fruitful achievements over the past decade. In 2022, bilateral trade reached $4.25 billion, according to official data. China mainly imports products such as rubber and related products, black tea and coconut oil, while exporting textiles and electromechanical products.

This year's CIIE is shining a spotlight on exhibitors from BRI partner countries. A total of 64 countries attending the Country Exhibition are from BRI partner countries. More than 1,500 enterprises have signed up to attend the expo, and the exhibition area recorded a year-on-year increase of about 30 percent to nearly 80,000 square meters.