Participants pose for a group photo during the 6th International Conference on Green Plant Protection Technology Innovation in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 19, 2026. Experts and scholars in the field of plant protection and agriculture gathered Monday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to exchange views at a high-profile international conference co-hosted by Chinese and Sri Lankan institutions. The 6th International Conference on Green Plant Protection Technology Innovation and China-Sri Lanka Agricultural Technology and Cultural Exchange Week opened at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo. The opening ceremony was attended by around 700 guests, including Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, heads of several Sri Lankan government departments, as well as experts and scholars from China, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and France. (Xinhua/Wu Ziyu)

COLOMBO, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Experts and scholars in the field of plant protection and agriculture gathered Monday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to exchange views at a high-profile international conference co-hosted by Chinese and Sri Lankan institutions.

The 6th International Conference on Green Plant Protection Technology Innovation and China-Sri Lanka Agricultural Technology and Cultural Exchange Week opened at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo. The opening ceremony was attended by around 700 guests, including Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, heads of several Sri Lankan government departments, as well as experts and scholars from China, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and France.

In a congratulatory message to the conference, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said that Sri Lanka and China have a long history of cooperation in agriculture, including the exchange of knowledge and practices that dates back centuries. It remains one of the most important links between the two countries to this day.

She extended hopes that the discussions at the conference can facilitate further cooperation and bring lasting outcomes for both countries.

Addressing the ceremony, Qi noted that as practical cooperation between China and Sri Lanka continues to advance, science, technology, and innovation are playing an increasingly important leading role.

He hoped that through the exchange of ideas and experience between experts, the two countries would further expand cooperation and inject new momentum into the green transformation of their tea industries and the broader advancement of sustainable agriculture.

Yang Guangfu, director of the National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides at Central China Normal University and one of the conference co-organizers, told Xinhua that since the China-Sri Lanka Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Tea Green Prevention and Control Technology was approved in 2024, the two sides have carried out field studies, collaborated with enterprises, and hosted exchange visits for Sri Lankan experts to China.

He added that the platform will continue to enhance mutual understanding and deepen scientific cooperation.

The event, lasting until Jan. 24., will feature symposiums centering on topics such as new plant protection technologies and green pesticides. In addition, it will include activities like the young scholars salon and a field trip to local tea plantations.

The event is co-hosted by China's Guizhou University and Sri Lanka's University of Peradeniya. ■