SL Envoy woos leading Chinese electric car maker for investment

• Also meets Zonergy, Huawei 
• The need for charging stations around the  country was also discussed

Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona held talks with three leading Chinese companies - Skyworth, Zonergy and  Huawei- to explore investment opportunities by them in Sri Lanka, a  statement from the Sri Lankan mission said. 

 
Skyworth is a major manufacturer of electric cars with a  significant market share in China. Their latest very attractive model  could travel 600 km on one charge. Currently it is marketed in many  countries.   
“We discussed the potential for this car to be assembled in  Sri Lanka, not only to cater to the domestic market but also to the  regional export market, including the SAARC region, Africa and the  Middle East. 

Sri Lanka is too small a market for large scale assembly/  production to be undertaken. Skyworth provides technical training and  after sales facilities. The need for charging stations around the  country was also discussed. Use of solar for power generation at  charging stations, including storage banks, and the potential savings on  imported fossil fuel were highlighted.  

Skyworth produces electric cars for other brands also,  including South Korean brands, and is a leader in white goods  manufacture. It is already associated with well-known companies in Sri  Lanka for its white goods,” he said.  

Ambassador Kohona also participated in a briefing at the  Huawei Head Quarters Campus. Huawei has over 30,000 working at the  campus. The company, while conscious of the impact of the US sanctions on  its operations, is confident of its ability to overcome these  constraints in the next five or six years. Considerable resources were  being deployed to develop the necessary technology, including significant government assistance. China has given top priority, at the state level, to digital development.   

Huawei has also developed an electric car which has a range  of 1,200 km on a single charge. Huawei’s new generation cellular phones watches and laptops introduce users to a new and dizzyingly exciting  world.  
Vice President Simon Liu, who had visited Sri Lanka  numerous times, had a high regard for the quality and skill levels of SL  programmers and forecast a bright future for SL in the IT sector.  Huawei had trained over 1,000 SL IT personnel. We discussed the  possibility of creating more internship/training placements for Lankan  IT personnel at Huawei.  

Huawei has considerable confidence in Sri Lanka’s IT  future. We would suggest a visit to Huawei by a technical team,  including policymakers, which could explore training possibilities,  including establishing a campus, and importantly, to discuss investment  possibilities. The Embassy could facilitate the visit.  

Dr Kohona also visited the Zonergy HQ. Zonergy produces  complete RE solutions to energy needs, both at the individual home level and  at the community level. Its main markets are in Europe. and its high-tech  solutions are much in demand and produces excellent inverters and  storage batteries. Their new television screens are as thin as a cell  phone and flexible. They could also be a solution provider for Sri  Lanka’s energy needs.       

• Huawei has considerable confidence in Sri Lanka’s IT  future. We would suggest a visit to Huawei by a technical team,  including policymakers, which could explore training possibilities,  including establishing a campus, and importantly, to discuss investment  possibilities