Business · Trade · 1 day ago
Sri Lankan tea gains a wider audience at China import expo
Sri Lanka is the guest country at the import expo in Shanghai this year, promoting products to Chinese visitors and buyers.
One exhibitor, Ale, serves Ceylon black tea and tells visitors its original tea plants came from China’s Wuyi Mountains in the 19th century.
The tea later became one of Sri Lanka’s best-known exports, and the plants’ return to China gives the trade a historical connection.
Sri Lanka ranked first by value among tea suppliers to mainland China in 2025, according to figures cited in the story.
The expo has helped Sri Lankan tea find buyers, including a Fujian trader who once ordered a container after tasting it there.
Organisers also point to a year-round exhibition hall in Shanghai, so buyers can explore Sri Lankan products beyond the expo.
A Sri Lanka-China trade group is also sending electric motorcycle parts made in Changzhou, Jiangsu, to Sri Lanka for local assembly and export to nearby countries.
Sri Lanka is presenting its Ceylon tea at the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai, seeking to widen its reach among Chinese consumers.
Sri Lanka is appearing as a guest country of honour at the expo for the first time.
A trade association representative said Sri Lanka ranked first by value among mainland China’s tea import sources in 2025.
The expo’s spillover benefits are being extended through a year-round Sri Lankan exhibition space and restaurant in Shanghai.
The tea’s history links the two countries: its original plants were brought from China’s Wuyi Mountains to Sri Lanka in the 19th century.
- Who
- Sri Lankan tea sellers and representatives, including the Sri Lanka-China Trade Promotion Association, are promoting Ceylon tea.
- What
- Sri Lanka is showcasing its tea at the ninth China International Import Expo and seeking to expand its Chinese market.
- When
- The expo was taking place on November 7, 2026; Sri Lanka’s tea display was also documented on November 6.
- Where
- The China International Import Expo in Shanghai, China.
- Why
- The expo is helping Sri Lankan products reach Chinese consumers and gain market recognition.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Tea plants were brought from China’s Wuyi Mountains to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s tea presenter Ai Le prepared Ceylon tea for visitors at the expo.
The ninth China International Import Expo was being held in Shanghai, with Sri Lanka appearing as a guest country of honour for the first time.
- Expo
- Ninth China International Import Expo
- Location
- Shanghai, China
- Sri Lanka’s role
- Guest country of honour for the first time
- Tea imports
- Sri Lanka ranked first by value among mainland China’s tea import sources in 2025
- Year-round presence
- 6 days + 365 days” exhibition space in Shanghai
1 source
What people are saying
When Chinese tea plants went to Sri Lanka, they sprouted and grew there. Now we have brought them back to China.
China is the home of tea, and this connection of shared roots is remarkable.
Come and taste the tea from my hometown.