Chinese foreign minister arrives in Dhaka

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has arrived in Dhaka in his maiden visit to Bangladesh to give further boost to bilateral ties.

Sino-Bangla bonhomie has touched a new height this year following Beijing’s unusual backing to the much-talked-about Jan 5 elections which was criticised by the US and its allies.

Following re-election, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a visit to China in June, when Beijing’s leadership promised to support Bangladesh in massive infrastructure projects.

Yi’s visit follows the Prime Minister’s June visit when both sides inked several deals and agreed to celebrate 40 years of their diplomatic relations jointly in a big way next year.

“This visit is basically stocktaking after our prime minister’s visit. We are expecting either Chinese president or prime minister would come next year in the joint celebration (of diplomatic ties),” a senior foreign ministry official told bdnews24.com.

Bangladesh’s President Md Abdul Hamid also visited China last month.

Yi came on Saturday from Kathmandu where he promised to increase the official aid to Nepal more than five folds from next fiscal from the current $24 million.

He arrived at about 6.45pm at a regular Bangladesh Biman flight.

Senior information officer of the ministry Khaleda Begum told bdnews24.com that foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali received him at the airport.

He was leading an 11-member delegation and would hold bilateral talks on Sunday at the foreign ministry with his counterpart.

He is also scheduled to meet the President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“The visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister reaffirms the high importance both the countries attach to their bilateral relations and forms part of the high level visits between the two countries,” the foreign ministry earlier said in a statement, ahead of his arrival.

As China rises as an economic power, it is spreading its influence in the South Asia region with investments in different infrastructure projects.

Beijing has made billions of dollars investment promise in South Asian countries after its third version of reforms last year.

It shares border with all SAARC countries except Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Beijing also established its own version of World Bank, Infrastructure Development Bank, amid US’s criticism where Bangladesh like many other countries joined as a founding member.

China set an import target of $10 trillion and outbound investment of $500 billion for the next five years.

Bangladesh “deserves to have a proper share” of this development, its latest envoy in Dhaka Li Jun had earlier said.

During Prime Minister’s visit, both sides signed an agreement to commission a coal-based power plant in Bangladesh and agreed to construct a special economic zone for China in Bangladesh.

An MoU was also signed for building an underwater tunnel on the Karnaphuli river for $1 billion.

Last year the Chinese envoy also announced that series of high-level visits would take place between the countries that would take the cooperation “to an ever-growing new height”.

At the bilateral level, he had said, Chinese investments and cooperation in infrastructure construction would see a surge.

Bangladesh has also put forward a number of projects for Chinese investment that officials say remain still in the negotiation phase.

Bangladesh is also working closely with China in achieving Beijing’s dream plan – a regional economic corridor linking Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar.

The foreign ministry said this visit has “special importance” as the year 2015 would mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and China.

Yi is scheduled to leave Dhaka on Dec 29.