On October 14, 2025, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing successfully hosted the "Digital Education in Sri Lanka: A High-Level Dialogue". Distinguished guests included Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Majintha Jayesinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China; His Excellency Qi Zhenhong, Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka; and Mr. Zhang Jinze, CEO of Huawei Sri Lanka. Professor Zhou Zuoyu, Vice Chairman of the University Council of Beijing Normal University and Director of the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), was invited to attend and deliver a keynote speech.

In his speech, Prof. Zhou emphasized that China and Sri Lanka are at a pivotal moment to reshape the future of education through digital technologies. He shared a systematic overview of China’s top-level design, implementation pathways, and practical achievements in advancing education digitalization as a national strategy, highlighting the comprehensive experience and open-sharing philosophy reflected in the White Paper on China’s Smart Education. To further deepen bilateral cooperation, Prof. Zhou proposed several pragmatic initiatives, including co-developing a multilingual resource platform, jointly conducting teacher training programmes, sharing digital infrastructure experience, and participating in global standard-setting efforts. Prof. Zhou also noted that this dialogue coincided with the World Conference on Women held in Beijing. He reaffirmed that INRULED and Beijing Normal University will continue to strengthen partnerships with Sri Lanka, with a special focus on enhancing the digital literacy of girls and women, ensuring that "No One Left Behind" in the digital transformation of education, and contributing jointly to building a forward-looking digital education ecosystem for Sri Lanka.

The dialogue injected new momentum into INRULED's efforts to advance digital education cooperation with Sri Lanka. Looking ahead, INRULED will continue to leverage its professional expertise and global network, work closely with partners to translate cooperation outcomes into practice, and jointly contribute to a new chapter of educational collaboration along the "Digital Silk Road".