China to help Bangladesh leverage geographical advantages

China will help Bangladesh leverage its geographical advantage of being at the confluence of two major markets of East Asia and South Asia by constructing BCIM economic corridor.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 30 Dec 2014, 05:10 PM
Updated : 30 Dec 2014, 06:31 PM

Beijing is also ready to work with Bangladesh to speed up construction of this economic corridor.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed this to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his visit that concluded on Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Wang said both “Chinese dream and Bangladeshi dream are connected and represent the aspiration of pursuing better life of the two peoples”.

He noted that “China is willing to seek common development and prosperity with its neighbouring countries and enhance investment in them”.

And in this regard he said “China will take Bangladesh as an important cooperative partner in its periphery, especially in South Asia”.

The foreign minister emphasised maintaining “the momentum of high-level exchanges and give importance to its irreplaceable leading role in boosting bilateral relations”.
He said China was ready to help Bangladesh develop modern agriculture, strengthen capacity of industrial production, improve infrastructure and overcome the bottleneck of energy supply so as “to promote Bangladesh for faster development”.
China will also push forward “relevant cooperation” with various countries in the region in the spirit of joint discussion, joint construction and joint sharing.
Wang paid his maiden visit to Dhaka from Saturday to Monday and discussed bilateral issues and the next year’s joint celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.
He said “China cherishes China-Bangladesh friendship” and would take this joint celebration as an opportunity “to uplift friendly cooperation to a new level and create a new pattern for bilateral relations”.
Minister Wang hoped “to maintain high-level mutual visits, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and inject new powerful impetus into China-Bangladesh relations” on the 40th anniversary celebration.
During his visit he met the president, prime minister, leader of the opposition and BNP chairperson.
Both President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lauded China's initiative for the construction of “Belt and Road.”
Hamid said China was “a sincere friend” of Bangladesh and “Bangladesh thanks China for providing long-term and valuable support to its economic and social development”.
Bangladesh is keen to work with China to accelerate the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor.
Dhaka envisages acting as a bridge between South Asia and East Asia due to its geographical location.
China endorsed that vision and said Bangladesh enjoyed “tremendous development potential and broad prospects” in this regard.
“China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to speed up the construction of the BCIM Economic Corridor and give impetus to Bangladesh’s geographical advantage of connecting two major markets of East Asia and South Asia,” according to a Beijing statement.
Beijing is also willing “to combine Bangladesh’s urgent development needs with China’s edge to strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh in the fields of economy and trade, agriculture, infrastructure, industrial parks, electric power and so on”.
“….thus to grow Bangladesh's self-development capacity, improve its development conditions and accelerate its development”.
China appreciated Bangladesh's “positive response and active participation” in the construction of the "Belt and Road" and the BCIM Economic Corridor.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Prime Minister Hasina said China's development was the “benchmark” of Asia and had become “an example” for Bangladesh to seek development and change the backward condition.
It said Bangladesh spoke “highly” of a series of practical cooperation initiatives proposed by the foreign minister during his visit.
Bangladesh hoped that China would “import more Bangladeshi goods, increase investment in Bangladesh, and help Bangladesh develop industrial parks and construct infrastructure”.
During his meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Wang said as a good friend of Bangladesh, “China sincerely hopes all Bangladeshi political parties properly resolve differences through dialogue and work together for national stability and development”.
He said “China is willing to work with all Bangladeshi political parties and all sectors of the society to carry forward China-Bangladesh friendship and continuously strengthen the friendship between the two peoples”.
Khaleda termed China “true and reliable” friend of Bangladesh.
At the bilateral meeting, the minister said China and Bangladesh, “without any dispute in history and conflict in the present, only enjoy friendship and cooperation”.
“China highly appreciates the firm and consistent support of Bangladesh to issues concerning China's core interests”.
Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said that “China is a friendly neighbour and a reliable development partner of Bangladesh and has made important contribution to economic and social development in the country”.
“The cooperation with China serves as a vital pillar of Bangladesh's diplomacy,” he said.