Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, attended the 5th Silk Road International Expo and China East-West Cooperation and Investment and Trade Fair in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on 12 May 2021. Dr. Kohona was invited to attend the opening ceremony as a special guest.

The opening ceremony was hosted by the Governor of Shaanxi Province Zhao Yide. Dr. Kohona in his speech stated that with the wider deployment of e-commerce, China's neighbours would find greater opportunities to access the super lucrative Chinese market. However, China would need to take proactive measures to facilitate the entry of developing countries to China's market space.

State Councillor and the Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, the Vice Minister of Commerce, the Vice Governors of other provinces and cities, and diplomats from more than 60 countries attended the ceremony.