The experiences and strategies employed by China, particularly in rural vitalization and targeted poverty alleviation, offer valuable lessons for South Asian countries striving to overcome similar challenges, a forum heard on Thursday.

At the 2025 China-South Asia Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development Cooperation, held in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, experts lauded China's commitment to aiding poverty alleviation and fostering sustainable development across the region.

Indrananda Abeysekera, president of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, or ASLCSCC, said there are many examples that developing countries can draw from China's poverty eradication process. "China's remarkable achievement in lifting over 800 million people out of poverty serves as an inspiration to us all".

Sri Lanka recognizes the pressing need to address poverty through innovative and collaborative approaches, he added.

Gamagedara Dissanayake, deputy minister of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, said that despite progress over the years in various sectors, poverty remains a persistent challenge that affects a significant portion of Sri Lanka's population.

The deputy minister noted Sri Lanka's president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, during his visit to China in January, toured an ancient town in Sichuan province.

"China's successful experience in turning cultural heritage into economic value offers valuable experience that we can learn from and adapt to our own context," he said.

The forum, held with support from the Chinese embassy in Colombo and the China International Communications Group, or CICG, was cohosted by the CICG Center for Europe and Asia (China Pictorial Publications), the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, and the ASLCSCC.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong said China has full confidence in Sri Lanka's poverty reduction initiative led by President Dissanayake.

China is willing to "strengthen exchanges and cooperation on poverty reduction with South Asian countries, work together to advance the international poverty reduction process, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for neighboring countries that features common development", Qi said.

vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com