Sri Lankan Academician Visits Shandong Huatong Technology for Inspection and Exchange to Deepen Water Environment Cooperation Under the Belt and Road Initiative

To accurately tap into Sri Lanka’s market demand for water environment governance and clarify preconditions for project cooperation, from June 15 to 16, the Belt and Road Eco-Industry Cooperation Working Committee of the All-China Environment Federation (ACEF) organized a two-day field visit and in-depth technical and commercial negotiation at Shandong Huatong Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. The delegation included Dr. S.K. Weragoda, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, Chief Engineer of Water Treatment Planning and Design at the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) of Sri Lanka, and Founding Director (Sri Lankan Side) of the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology (JRDC); as well as Professor Wei Yuansong, Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Director of the Water Pollution Control Laboratory at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Deputy Director of the Belt and Road Eco-Industry Cooperation Working Committee, and his research team.

This inspection serves as pre-work for the special delegation ACEF will send to Sri Lanka in July. It aims to identify local project demands, complete technical preparation tailored to local operating conditions, and translate China-Sri Lanka water cooperation plans into tangible outcomes. Centering on the upgrading of urban and rural water supply infrastructure in Sri Lanka and the export of modular water purification and vertical sewage treatment technologies, all parties reached a number of consensus on the export of complete sets of equipment, joint investment and construction of projects, and PPP cooperation models.

Field Visit to Benchmark Projects & Full Recognition of China’s Innovative Vertical Water Treatment Technology

On June 15, the delegation toured Dezhou and Weifang in Shandong Province, visiting the world’s first vertical integrated water purification complex in Qingyun, Dezhou, and the Weifang production base. They gained a full picture of Huatong’s full-chain capabilities covering R&D, manufacturing and complete supply of standardized equipment. Mao Shilian, General Manager of the company, and the business team provided on-site explanations throughout the tour.

On June 16, the delegation arrived at Shandong Huatong’s headquarters in Qingdao High-tech Zone, where Mao Yunming, Chairman of the company, hosted the visit. Professor Wei Yuansong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. Yu Dawei from his team also participated in the headquarters tour and forum. The delegation focused on the self-developed lateral horizontal sedimentation module, an original landmark innovation in China’s water treatment industry. It greatly improves sedimentation and sludge discharge efficiency and drastically cuts plant land occupation, applicable to new wastewater plants, renovation of outdated facilities, industrial wastewater treatment, landscape water restoration and other scenarios. The group also inspected complete sets of micro and small modular water purification plants. Authoritative appraisal confirms that the integrated technology reaches internationally advanced level with core technologies attaining world-leading standards. It effectively addresses rural water supply pain points including scattered water sources, low automation and difficult operation & maintenance, and delivers a complete technical solution for integrated urban-rural water supply.

After the site tour, a special seminar was held in the company’s meeting room. Drawing on decades of water environment research experience, Professor Wei Yuansong exchanged in depth with Dr. Weragoda on key technical issues including overseas adaptation of Huatong’s integrated water treatment equipment, tropical water quality treatment, and long-term operation and maintenance of small rural water supply systems. Huatong’s technical team presented its full technical portfolio, including vertical water purification complexes, distributed vertical water supply and drainage construction models, export of complete overseas equipment, comprehensive utilization of sewage source heat, multi-scenario reclaimed water development, as well as domestic benchmark projects and reserved cooperation programs in Belt and Road countries such as Honduras, Iran and Indonesia.

In-depth Commercial Negotiations: Sri Lanka Boasts Huge Market Opportunities for Water Environment Governance

During the seminar, Dr. S.K. Weragoda elaborated on Sri Lanka’s current water environment situation and medium-to-long-term development plans. He stated that Sri Lanka faces an urgent need to upgrade urban-rural water supply and industrial wastewater treatment infrastructure. Under the NWSDB Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), national piped water supply coverage will rise from the current 62% to 75%, with urban water access rate set for substantial growth. Multiple large water transmission and distribution pipeline projects will be implemented between 2026 and 2030, including renovation of existing pipe networks, water loss control, construction of District Metered Areas (DMA) and deployment of smart water meters. He added that the government has allocated a fund of around 10 billion yuan as special implementation funding for the next five years, and there is an urgent demand to introduce mature, well-adapted advanced Chinese water treatment technologies and complete sets of equipment.

Regarding project implementation models, Dr. Weragoda noted that water environment projects in Sri Lanka are mainly government-led PPP initiatives supported by stable policies and funding. Scattered rural water supply remains a prominent nationwide challenge. Huatong’s compact modular water purification units feature easy disassembly and assembly, suitability for ocean transportation and intelligent unattended operation, enabling mass deployment in villages and towns to effectively guarantee grassroots drinking water safety. Such livelihood projects enjoy broad market prospects.

The two sides exchanged views on core topics including export of complete water treatment equipment, packaged integrated rural water supply projects, and construction and renovation of urban vertical sewage plants. Professor Wei Yuansong offered professional advice from the perspectives of research commercialization, water quality process optimization and long-term technical support. All parties held thorough consultations on details such as project implementation workflows, customized equipment, technical training and post-operation maintenance, agreeing to maintain follow-up communication, refine cooperation plans and advance pragmatic China-Sri Lanka water environment cooperation.

Shandong Huatong: Decades of Technical Expertise to Meet South Asian Demand, Vertical Water Treatment Solutions Ready for Global Rollout

Mao Shilian, General Manager of Shandong Huatong, introduced that the enterprise has focused on water treatment for 32 years. It is a national high-tech enterprise, a national Specialized, Refined, Unique & Innovative "Little Giant" enterprise, and the chief compiler of the national Technical Specification for Modular Water Treatment Systems. Covering the full industrial chain of water purification, municipal sewage, industrial wastewater, air pollution control, automatic control systems and water quality testing equipment, the company integrates R&D, design, manufacturing, engineering construction, investment and operation. It holds over a hundred independent core patents with patent layouts across 15 countries worldwide, and its vertical water purification complex has become a landmark Chinese water infrastructure solution for Belt and Road exports. Mao Shilian stated that drawing on mature technologies and overseas project experience, the company will tailor integrated water environment governance solutions aligned with Sri Lanka’s local operating conditions to support sustainable water resource utilization in the country.

Platform Serves as Bridge; Special Delegation to Depart for Sri Lanka in July

Organized and coordinated entirely by the Belt and Road Eco-Industry Cooperation Working Committee of ACEF, this visit fully leverages the platform’s bridging role.

Shi Xiang, Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Committee, explained that inviting the Sri Lankan academician to visit leading Chinese water enterprises lays groundwork for the special China business delegation to Sri Lanka in July. By enabling overseas experts to gain first-hand understanding of China’s technological strengths and product advantages, Chinese enterprises can conduct targeted field research on specific projects when they go global. ACEF will organize a special delegation to conduct on-site investigations in Sri Lanka from July 12 to 18. The delegation will visit local leading enterprises engaged in water supply, sewage treatment and solid waste recycling, hold in-depth exchanges with provincial water authorities, and fully identify project demands, policy frameworks and market rules in sewage treatment, solid waste disposal and urban-rural water supply. ACEF will continue to build a regular communication channel for China-Sri Lanka environmental industry cooperation, facilitate more Chinese green water treatment technologies to land in South Asia, and deepen green infrastructure collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative.

This exchange has established a tripartite direct cooperation channel linking Shandong Huatong, top domestic water environment research institutions and Sri Lanka’s national water authority through a dual-track model of domestic site visits and overseas project investigations. Moving forward, all parties will further advance multi-dimensional collaboration in technology, commerce and research. Centered on water environment governance cooperation, they will implement the Green Belt and Road Initiative and build a demonstration model for industry-university-research water cooperation between China and Sri Lanka.