About the Interviewee
Prof. Dr. He Hongmei, Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, China
In the course of global development, narrowing the urban–rural divide, promoting rural prosperity, and achieving more inclusive modernization have become common priorities for many developing countries. For Sri Lanka, a nation with a long agricultural tradition and abundant natural resources, rural development is not only about increasing agricultural production but also about creating employment opportunities, improving livelihoods, promoting balanced regional development, and ensuring sustainable economic growth. In recent years, many countries around the world have been exploring ways to better integrate rural areas into the broader process of modernization.
China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy is a long-term initiative developed within this global context. By advancing agricultural modernization, fostering rural industries, improving infrastructure, promoting digital empowerment, and strengthening ecological conservation, China is exploring a distinctive path toward rural development that reflects its own national conditions. While this experience is not intended as a one-size-fits-all model, it offers a valuable opportunity for observation, dialogue, and mutual learning for developing countries, including Sri Lanka.
From Poverty Alleviation to Rural Revitalization: A New Stage of Rural Development
Over the past several decades, China’s rural areas have undergone profound transformation. In 2021, China announced that it had eradicated absolute poverty, lifting hundreds of millions of rural residents out of poverty in what has become one of the world’s most significant achievements in poverty reduction. Yet the elimination of poverty did not mark the end of rural development; rather, it signaled the beginning of a new stage aimed at achieving higher-quality and more sustainable development.
The core objective of the Rural Revitalization Strategy is not only to make rural communities more prosperous but also to make them more dynamic and sustainable. The strategy emphasizes industrial development, talent cultivation, cultural revitalization, ecological conservation, and effective rural governance. Through these integrated efforts, rural areas are gradually transforming from traditional agricultural production zones into modern communities characterized by economic vitality, improved living standards, and long-term development potential. China’s experience demonstrates that rural modernization is not simply about increasing agricultural output; it is a comprehensive process involving the transformation of economic structures, public services, and rural lifestyles.
Industrial Upgrading: Breathing New Life into Traditional Agriculture
Agriculture remains the foundation of rural development, while enhancing the value of agricultural industries has become the key to modernizing the rural economy. In recent years, many rural regions in China have capitalized on their unique local resources to develop specialty agriculture, agricultural product processing, rural tourism, and e-commerce, creating distinctive development models tailored to local conditions.
Technological innovation has improved agricultural productivity, branding has enhanced the value and market recognition of agricultural products, and the extension of industrial value chains has generated higher incomes for farmers. As a result, traditional agricultural products are no longer sold merely as raw materials but are increasingly marketed as branded products with stronger competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
This experience also offers valuable insights for Sri Lanka. The country is globally renowned for its tea industry and is richly endowed with tropical fruits, spices, fisheries, and eco-tourism resources. Enhancing the value added of agricultural products, expanding processing capacity, and strengthening access to international markets are all important pathways toward revitalizing the rural economy. China’s experience suggests that rural development does not require abandoning traditional industries. Instead, by leveraging technology, market mechanisms, and innovation, traditional strengths can be transformed into new engines of sustainable growth.
Digital Technologies Are Reshaping Rural Development
Digital transformation has become a powerful driver of rural development. In recent years, China has actively promoted the development of digital villages by leveraging the Internet, e-commerce platforms, mobile payment systems, and smart logistics to strengthen connections between rural and urban areas, as well as between producers and consumers. In the past, many remote communities struggled to bring high-quality agricultural products to broader markets due to transportation constraints and limited market access. Today, digital platforms enable farmers to overcome geographical barriers, market specialty products online, and connect smallholder farmers with much larger markets.
Digital technologies are also improving public services in rural areas. Telemedicine, online education, and digital government services have made healthcare, education, and public administration more accessible and convenient for rural residents.
For Sri Lanka, digital technologies likewise present new opportunities for rural development. Expanding digital agriculture, e-commerce, and smart agricultural services can improve productivity, strengthen market connectivity, and create new employment opportunities for young people in rural communities.
Green Development for a Sustainable Rural Future
Rural development is not only an economic issue but also an ecological one. China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy places strong emphasis on green development by improving rural living environments, promoting eco-friendly agriculture, and encouraging the circular use of resources. These efforts seek to achieve a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
An increasing number of rural communities are exploring ways to transform ecological advantages into economic opportunities. Eco-tourism, specialty agriculture, and the conservation of natural resources have demonstrated that a healthy environment can itself become a valuable asset for local economic development.
This approach is particularly relevant for Sri Lanka, a country endowed with rich natural ecosystems and exceptional biodiversity. Looking ahead, integrating environmental conservation with the development of agriculture, tourism, and other specialty industries can further promote sustainable growth in rural areas.
Broad Prospects for China–Sri Lanka Rural Cooperation
China and Sri Lanka are both countries with long-standing agricultural civilizations. At the same time, they face many common challenges in the course of modernization: How can farmers’ incomes be increased while protecting the environment? How can food security be safeguarded in the face of climate change?
When addressing these challenges, international agricultural cooperation can easily fall into the trap of attempting to replicate one country’s development model in another. In reality, however, there is no universal blueprint for modernization. Every country possesses its own historical traditions, natural conditions, agricultural resources, and market structures. China’s experience in rural revitalization is therefore not a formula to be copied, but rather a source of practical experience from which others may draw inspiration.
Future cooperation should focus on pragmatic and targeted collaboration rather than attempting to cover every aspect at once. China’s experience in digital logistics, rural e-commerce, and integrating smallholder farmers into larger markets can offer valuable reference for strengthening Sri Lanka’s agricultural supply chains. At the same time, Sri Lanka’s achievements in tea plantation ecosystem management, specialty organic agriculture, and community-based rural development provide important lessons for China’s own transition toward greener agriculture.
Such cooperation—grounded in mutual respect, mutual learning, and the exchange of practical experience—represents the most sustainable pathway for the two countries to jointly shape the future of rural development.
Jointly Exploring a Path toward Inclusive Modernization
For countries such as Sri Lanka that are pursuing economic recovery and rural transformation, the future of modernization may lie not only in thriving cities but also in vibrant rural communities. China’s experience with rural revitalization over the past several years has demonstrated an important possibility: rural areas need not remain the “left-behind frontier”of industrialization. With the adoption of smart irrigation systems, green agricultural technologies, digital commerce, and modern logistics, the countryside can become a new engine of economic growth.
This transformation is not based on a single development model. Rather, the essence of China–Sri Lanka cooperation in agriculture, rural development, and poverty reduction lies in adapting solutions to local conditions. By sharing affordable, practical technologies and exchanging experiences in rural development, the two countries can work together to explore a path toward inclusive modernization—one that is firmly rooted in Sri Lanka’s own national circumstances while advancing long-term sustainability.
Ultimately, the value of China–Sri Lanka cooperation lies not in exporting a development model, but in fostering mutual learning, building local capacity, and pursuing shared prosperity through sustainable and context-specific solutions. This spirit of partnership reflects a broader commitment to development that is inclusive, resilient, and beneficial to both peoples.