Members of the China Cultural Center and Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association line up for a group photo. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

The head of the Sri Lanka China Cultural Center, Le Liwen, and the chairman of the Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association, Ananda Goonatilleke, exchanged their views and plans to boost cultural exchanges between the two sides when Le paid a visit to the association.

Goonatilleke introduced efforts that the association has made to strengthen ties between Sri Lanka and China in past decades. He expressed his hope that there will be more cultural exchanges in various forms.

According to Goonatilleke, a national speech competition for college students themed, "Maritime Silk Road", is being prepared by the association and the Chinese Association for International Understanding. More cultural events are expected.

Le said that the China Cultural Center attaches great importance to communication and exchanges with people in Sri Lanka and hopes to build a closer tie for cooperation.

The Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association was established in 1950 and is the first non-governmental organization to work for better Sri Lanka-China relations. The exchanges have extended to different fields over years, from politics to trade, culture and industries.