A Xinjiang Culture Week themed Charming China, Colorful Xinjiang was staged in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, from Oct 18-20 to promote cultural exchanges between the two counties.

The three-day event featured elements of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region through exhibitions of intangible cultural heritage, traditional costumes and musical instruments as well as cultural performances and lectures.

The opening ceremony was held on Oct 18, attended by Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka's Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, S.B. Nawinne, Sri Lanka's Minister of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs, and Yi Xianliang, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, as well as a number of other officials.

"The splendid ancient Chinese civilization has attracted scholars from all around the world to travel a long way to study in China. Nowadays, the Belt and Road Initiative, especially the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund, will help provide huge development dividends to countries along the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road," said Hakeem while addressing the opening.

"Sri Lanka will seize the opportunities and enhance cooperation with China in economic, trade, cultural and other areas," he added.

The Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative helps build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

(china.org)