The U-Freight Group -the Hong Kong-headquartered international freight services and logistics group, has welcomed the Chinese New Year with the appointment of Sri Lankan forwarder Care Logistics (PVT) Ltd of Colombo as the latest agency partner of its global network. U-Freight Chief Executive Officer, Simon Wong says: “We welcome Care Logistics as our latest agency partner. The company is a dynamic freight forwarding business, which has gained recognition within the Sri Lankan freight community within a short period. “Following the ending of civil unrest on the island nation in May 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka has been ambitious in its determination to capitalise on the peace dividend. A key strength has to be Sri Lanka's strategic position in the Indian Ocean on key shipping routes between India and China.” Care Logistics (PVT) Ltd was founded in Colombo in 1997 and offers a full range of freight forwarding services, including air freight, sea freight, Customs brokerage, warehousing, supply chain management, project cargo logistics and out-of-gauge traffic. Since the settlement of the civil war in 2009, the Sri Lankan government has had the goal of eight percent or more growth per year and lowering government indebtedness from around 80 to 60 percent of GDP by 2015. Actual growth has been a healthy five percent over the last four five years. A well-educated young population has been behind strong growth in industries and services since the civil war, creating demand for goods. Economists point to a highly literate population and an advantageous location along key shipping routes to India and China. Wong continues: “As part of its return to a peaceful normality, the Colombo government is establishing vocational training for the population and providing low-interest finance and begun rebuilding roads and bridges all over the island. International and domestic banking is recovering while big retail chains are opening locations; which is giving a significant boost to import and export traffic and the freight forwarding services that are associated with it. We intend to capitalise on that business through our new agency partnership with Care Logistics.”