ශ්රී ලංකා ප්රජාතාන්ත්රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ කොන්සල් ජනරාල් කාර්යාලය, ගුවැන්ජෝ, චීනය
இலங்கை சனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் கொன்சுலர் நாயகம், குவாங்ஜோ, சீனா
Consulate General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Guangzhou, China
Sri Lanka’s Trade Relations with China
Sri Lanka’s Exports, Imports, Total Trade & Balance of Trade with China
The total trade turnover between Sri Lanka and China, as shown in table 1 below, it has increased reporting the highest value in 2025 due to mainly increase of imports.
China was the 9th export destination for Sri Lankan products with a share of 2.14 % in 2025.
China was the 1st largest import partner of Sri Lanka with a share of 24.06 % in 2025.
Table 1: Trade with China
| Year | Exports | Imports | Total Trade Turnover | Values in US$ Mn. | ||||
| Value | Growth (%) | Value | Growth (%) | Value | Growth (%) | Trade Balance | Import Coverage (%) | |
| 2021 | 273.81 | - | 4,754.51 | - | 5,028.32 | - | -4,480.70 | 5.76 |
| 2022 | 251.73 | -8.07 | 3,346.23 | -29.62 | 3,597.95 | -28.45 | -3,094.50 | 7.52 |
| 2023 | 257.80 | 2.41 | 3,076.55 | -8.06 | 3,334.35 | -7.33 | -2,818.75 | 8.38 |
| 2024 | 251.71 | -2.36 | 4,325.12 | 40.58 | 4,576.84 | 37.26 | -4,073.41 | 5.82 |
| 2025 | 278.71 | 10.73 | 5,151.71 | 19.11 | 5,430.42 | 18.65 | -4,873.00 | 5.41 |
Source: Sri Lanka Customs
During the period of review, the value of Sri Lanka’s exports to China has been fluctuated and reached its peak level, USD 278.71 million in 2025. On the imports front, the value of Sri Lanka’s total imports from China has also been fluctuated and reported its peak level, USD 5,151.71 million in 2025. The bilateral trade balance has always been in favour of China.
Sri Lanka’s Exports to China
- Apparel was the dominant export item accounting for 23.96% of Sri Lanka’s exports to China in 2025 followed by Tea.
Table 2: Sri Lanka’s Major Export Items to China (2021 - 2025)
| HS Code | Description | YEAR | YEAR | YEAR | YEAR | YEAR | Share in 2025 (%) | Change in 2025 over 2024(%) |
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| 61& 62 | Apparel | 68.21 | 67.79 | 63.72 | 68.29 | 66.77 | 23.96 | -2.23 |
| 0902 | Tea | 59.45 | 47.70 | 55.06 | 54.66 | 50.34 | 18.06 | -7.90 |
| 3802 | Activated carbon | 20.49 | 23.32 | 19.97 | 24.44 | 38.93 | 13.97 | 59.31 |
| 530500 | Other vegetable textile fibres | 29.28 | 29.36 | 20.19 | 23.47 | 20.95 | 7.52 | -10.76 |
| 14049050 | Coconut husk chips | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.24 | 1.93 | 9.49 | 3.41 | 391.00 |
| 74 | Copper and articles thereof | 3.21 | 1.74 | 6.21 | 10.10 | 8.35 | 3.00 | -17.30 |
| 0303 | Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading no.03.0 | 5.49 | 4.51 | 4.14 | 4.63 | 6.85 | 2.46 | 48.13 |
| 23 | Residues and waste from the food industries, prepared animal fodder. (Except Hs 23065010) | - | - | - | - | 5.09 | 1.83 | - |
| 8536 | Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits, or for making connections to.. | 2.93 | 4.09 | 3.58 | 4.26 | 4.98 | 1.79 | 16.71 |
| 401290 | Retreaded or used pneumatic tyres of rubber; | 4.18 | 4.50 | 4.14 | 3.75 | 4.17 | 1.49 | 11.06 |
| 400129 | Crepe rubber | 3.16 | 3.77 | 2.13 | 2.63 | 4.04 | 1.45 | 53.92 |
| 0307 | Molluscs, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, | 3.43 | 4.52 | 8.16 | 3.65 | 4.01 | 1.44 | 9.87 |
| 54 | Man-made filaments | 3.64 | 3.96 | 2.35 | 3.14 | 3.90 | 1.40 | 24.09 |
| 90 | Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments | 4.06 | 6.91 | 5.37 | 2.88 | 3.77 | 1.35 | 30.67 |
| 9999 | Others | 66.23 | 49.53 | 62.56 | 43.88 | 47.08 | 16.89 | 7.29 |
| Total Exports | 273.81 | 251.73 | 257.80 | 251.71 | 278.7 | 100.00 | 10.73 |
Source: Sri Lanka Customs
Sri Lanka’s Imports from China
- As shown in table 3, Iron & Steel has become the major import item from China in 2025 with a share of 11.40% followed by knitted or crocheted fabrics.
Table 3: Sri Lanka’s Major Import Items from China (2021 –2025)
| HS Code | Description | YEAR | YEAR | YEAR | YEAR | YEAR | Share in 2025 (%) | Change in 2025 over 2024(%) |
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| 72&73 | Iron and Steel; | 444.23 | 272.29 | 310.07 | 458.10 | 587.24 | 11.40 | 28.19 |
| 60 | Knitted or crocheted fabrics | 335.84 | 316.26 | 245.73 | 296.30 | 334.24 | 6.49 | 12.80 |
| 8517 | Telephones sets including telephones for cellular networks of for other wirless networks | 437.23 | 123.68 | 158.79 | 208.77 | 250.59 | 4.86 | 20.03 |
| 8703 | Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.24 | 2.26 | 248.80 | 4.83 | 10906.96 |
| 84 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances | 223.79 | 114.72 | 122.60 | 190.86 | 230.22 | 4.47 | 20.62 |
| 54 | Man-made filaments | 163.66 | 151.16 | 133.39 | 200.25 | 215.46 | 4.18 | 7.60 |
| 39 | Plastics and articles thereof | 175.66 | 152.04 | 133.64 | 178.77 | 214.26 | 4.16 | 19.85 |
| 55 | Man-made staple fibres | 226.09 | 184.19 | 161.63 | 218.32 | 182.64 | 3.55 | -16.34 |
| 29 | Organic chemicals | 119.03 | 114.31 | 92.62 | 128.70 | 154.95 | 3.01 | 20.40 |
| 31 | Fertilisers | 52.54 | 48.56 | 68.07 | 27.56 | 153.41 | 2.98 | 456.72 |
| 8426 | Ships' derricks; cranes, including cable cranes; | 9.36 | 31.49 | 2.30 | 252.33 | 144.47 | 2.80 | -42.75 |
| 58 | Special woven fabrics; | 113.62 | 124.80 | 92.82 | 103.51 | 118.93 | 2.31 | 14.90 |
| 8471 | Automatic data processing machines and units thereof; | 201.46 | 67.41 | 60.27 | 83.22 | 106.71 | 2.07 | 28.23 |
| 52 | Cotton | 178.86 | 166.81 | 105.25 | 116.53 | 106.36 | 2.06 | -8.72 |
| 85017210 | Photovoltaic DC generators : Of an output exceeding 50 W: | 24.98 | 107.12 | 88.84 | 1.72 | -17.06 | ||
| 48 | Paper and paperboard; | 60.32 | 67.90 | 60.97 | 80.89 | 79.33 | 1.54 | -1.93 |
| 8504 | Electrical transformers, static converters (for example, rectifiers) and inductors. .. | 42.91 | 30.94 | 34.19 | 76.30 | 74.89 | 1.45 | -1.85 |
| 2710 | Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, other than crude; | 0.07 | 56.79 | 100.30 | 45.63 | 69.15 | 1.34 | 51.56 |
| 8528 | Reception apparatus for televisoin, whether or not imcorporating other colour | 80.44 | 14.60 | 23.02 | 51.22 | 59.73 | 1.16 | 16.62 |
| 90 | Optical, photographic, cinamatographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instrume | 60.90 | 34.56 | 41.28 | 47.84 | 53.64 | 1.04 | 12.12 |
| 76 | Aluminium and articles thereof | 62.50 | 56.57 | 40.72 | 55.67 | 52.75 | 1.02 | -5.25 |
| 38 | Miscellaneous chemical products | 45.77 | 45.31 | 33.55 | 48.10 | 50.46 | 0.98 | 4.90 |
| 70320 | Garlic | 42.40 | 27.94 | 35.90 | 50.21 | 46.71 | 0.91 | -6.97 |
| 6162 | Apparel | 48.55 | 37.61 | 29.51 | 41.49 | 45.87 | 0.89 | 10.54 |
| 83 | Miscellaneous articles of base metal | 43.60 | 41.59 | 35.86 | 39.39 | 44.95 | 0.87 | 14.10 |
| 96 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 41.98 | 34.27 | 33.97 | 41.88 | 44.46 | 0.86 | 6.14 |
| 8415 | Air conditioning machines, comprising a motor driven fan and elements for changing the temperature | 21.89 | 9.60 | 9.21 | 33.79 | 41.78 | 0.81 | 23.66 |
| 32 | Tanning or dying extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other coloring matter; | 42.55 | 28.38 | 27.24 | 37.79 | 40.15 | 0.78 | 6.26 |
| 8418 | Refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating or freezing equipment, electric or other; heat pum.. | 34.99 | 12.07 | 8.06 | 21.31 | 40.10 | 0.78 | 88.16 |
| 8711 | Motorcycles (including mopeds) and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor, with o | 0.39 | 1.20 | 3.03 | 12.82 | 35.68 | 0.69 | 178.25 |
| 94 | Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps | 29.83 | 17.32 | 22.11 | 30.21 | 33.01 | 0.64 | 9.26 |
| 8414 | Air or vacuum pumps, air or other gas compressors and fans; | 32.53 | 14.03 | 15.56 | 28.63 | 30.45 | 0.59 | 6.35 |
| 8541 | Diodes, transistors and similar semi-conductor devices; photosensitive semi-conductor devices, inc. | 38.89 | 18.74 | 24.62 | 24.31 | 29.74 | 0.58 | 22.32 |
| 59 | Impregnated, coated, covered or laminated textile fabrics; | 58.53 | 42.92 | 29.95 | 32.12 | 27.76 | 0.54 | -13.59 |
| 53 | Other vegetable textile fibres; | 18.31 | 23.87 | 18.69 | 30.92 | 27.46 | 0.53 | -11.20 |
| 8516 | Electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion heaters; | 27.26 | 13.06 | 9.30 | 18.07 | 27.28 | 0.53 | 50.97 |
| 8714 | Parts and accessories of vehicles of heading nos. 87.11 to 87.13. | 56.69 | 36.39 | 19.20 | 19.10 | 26.89 | 0.52 | 40.75 |
| 56 | Wadding, felt & nonwovens special yarns twine, cordage, ropes & cables | 32.21 | 19.59 | 18.07 | 25.80 | 26.29 | 0.51 | 1.88 |
| 9999 | Others | 1,149.55 | 793.20 | 689.84 | 859.02 | 1,006.08 | 19.53 | 17.12 |
| Total Imports | 4,754.51 | 3,346.23 | 3,076.55 | 4,325.12 | 5,151.71 | 100.00 | 19.11 |
Source: Sri Lanka Customs