A China-Sri Lanka joint research center is being explored as a way to advance cooperation on functional compounds from traditional medicinal plants.

The center is expected to be co-founded by Guizhou University and the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine. A formal cooperation agreement is planned for 2026.

During a visit to four Sri Lankan institutions on Jan 27 and 28, a delegation led by Professor Hao Gefei of Guizhou University met with representatives to discuss several potential areas of collaboration, including student exchange programs and the creation of a joint research center.

"Sri Lanka has abundant tropical medicinal plant resources, and Ayurveda holds extensive knowledge about functional plant ingredients. Both sides see broad potential for cooperation in natural product chemistry, research on functional plant ingredients, and the modernization of traditional knowledge," Hao said.

Hao added that Guizhou University's world-class laboratory of green pesticides has strong expertise in developing natural product-based drugs and extracting active ingredients from plants.

He noted that many medicinal plants serve not only as traditional Chinese medicines but also as important sources of biopesticides.

China and Sri Lanka have a long history of exchanges on green crop-protection technologies. Hao, who is also the director of the China-Sri Lanka joint laboratory of green pest control technology of tea, established in 2024, said the lab has helped local tea gardens control diseases and weeds using immune induction and green pesticides.