On the evening of February 5, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in China hosted a grand reception to commemorate the 78th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence. The event drew approximately 180 attendees, including Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomats to China from other countries, representatives of China-Sri Lanka joint ventures, and members of the Sri Lankan community in China. A highlight of the evening was the premiere of the world’s first white wine combining grapes from Ningxia Helan Mountains’ eastern foot with Sri Lankan Ceylon tea. The unique creation captured significant attention and drew unanimous praise from the guests. Bai Yuzhen, Director-General of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office (NXFAO), attended as a special guest. Together with Director-General Liu Jinsong and H.E. Majintha Jayesinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China, they witnessed the unveiling of this milestone in Ningxia-Sri Lanka wine and tea cooperation.

In recent years, the NXFAO has given top priority to empowering the international presence of Ningxia’s specialty and competitive industries. Capitalizing on Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe’s visit to Ningxia for the China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo, the NXFAO took the initiative to tap into the complementary strengths of the two sides. Collaborating with the Administrative Committee of Ningxia (Helan Mountains’ Eastern Foot) Wine Industry Park, it explored the market potential of combining Ningxia wine with Sri Lankan Ceylon tea. Through mutual visits, online working meetings, and the establishment of a regular communication mechanism, the NXFAO has facilitated a partnership between Ningxia’s Helanhong Winery and Sri Lankan tea enterprises to develop a “wine + black tea” product. Following extensive coordination with the Sri Lankan Embassy and joint research and development by enterprises from both sides, the innovation — “Confluence·Ceylon Tea-Infused White Wine” — was born, marking a new breakthrough in industrial cooperation and cultural exchanges between Ningxia and Sri Lanka.

The successful pairing of Ningxia Helan Mountains’ eastern foot wine and Sri Lankan Ceylon tea is not only a testament to the exchange of civilizations and mutual learning between China and Sri Lanka, but also a prime example of Ningxia’s efforts to serve diplomatic priorities with local strengths. It stands as a vivid illustration of the deepening China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincere mutual assistance and enduring friendship, and contributing to the building of a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future. Moving forward, the NXFAO will continue to align with the directives of the CPC Ningxia Committee on leveraging the capacity of foreign affairs to bolster specialty industries. By further integrating foreign affairs resources, the NXFAO aims to help more specialty and quality Ningxia products reach global markets via diplomatic platforms, injecting fresh momentum and vitality into Ningxia’s high-level opening up and high-quality development.