Consul General Fernando also participated in the opening ceremony of the Trade Expo held in Hangzhou City, China at the invitation of Zhejiang Foreign Affairs Office.

The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Business Worldwide", took place at the Hangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center. Approximately 1,500 representatives from 101 countries and regions, 22 international organizations, 43 foreign business associations, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, and diplomats from foreign missions based in China attended the opening ceremony of the event.

In parallel to the expo, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and the People’s Government of Hangzhou Municipality hosted the “Digital Economy International Cooperation Matching Conference” in Hangzhou. The conference aimed to promote cooperation between Chinese digital enterprises and countries worldwide, exploring new opportunities for international cooperation and expanding new spaces for future development.

During the discussions held on the sidelines of the conference, Consul General Anura Fernando emphasized the digital investment opportunities available in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Colombo Port City which has attracted the interest of Chinese and other overseas digital enterprises for potential investments. The Consul General also addressed questions from foreign digital companies regarding investment opportunities in the Colombo Port City, Hambanthota Free Trade Zone, and other promising investment fields in Sri Lanka. The Director (Chinese market) of the Colombo Port City Project Shi Mingguang also participated in the discussion and elaborated on the concessions and advantages available for potential investors in the Colombo Port City Project.

Some of the other resource persons at the roundtable discussion were Deputy Secretary General of World Digital Economic Forum Fan Jinyu, Ambassador of Maldives to China Fazeel Najeeb, Minister Counsellor of Egypt in Shanghai Adel Zahran, and Head of Zhejiang Cultural Investment Group Yuan Yan. 

The roundtable discussion concluded with an analysis of the prospective digital investment opportunities worldwide, and responses to inquiries from the participating global digital companies.