New Chinese ambassador sees ‘no quick fix’ to Rohingya crisis

China says there is no quick fix to the Rohingya crisis describing it as a complicated matter with historical, ethnical and religious backgrounds.

“China pays close attention to this issue. We understand your positions and your concerns on those issues. We hope that Bangladesh and Myanmar could have friendly negotiation and communications on the issue in order to find a solution,” the new Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo said on Wednesday.

The envoy appeared before the media in Dhaka on Wednesday after presenting his credentials on Mar 7.

China, which has very close economic and diplomatic ties with Myanmar, has been maintaining that it wants to play ‘constructive; role to solve the crisis after the Aug 25 military crackdown in Rakhine State following which over 700,000 Muslim Rohingya fled into Bangladesh.

China, however, vetoed in the UN Security Council to prevent any resolution against Myanmar.

Rohingya Muslims wait to cross the border to Bangladesh, in a temporary camp outside Maungdaw, northern Rakhine state, Myanmar November 12, 2017. Reuters

China has ‘no personal interest’ on this issue and was making a genuine effort to to have Bangladesh and Myanmar solve the problem, according to Ambassador Zhang.

“But we should also see that there is no quick fix to the issue of the Rakhine State as it is a complicated problem and have historical, ethnical and also religious reasons.”

China, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar are not enemies of each other, he said adding: “We have common enemy which is poverty and we need to step up our regional cooperation in order to promote development”.

Referring to the Chinese foreign minister’s three-point recommendations made in November, he said, those proposals were also aimed at promoting development and solve the issue.

“Only the development can solve the issue of the Rakhine State.”

He appreciated Bangladesh for engaging with Myanmar and for signing the deal to start the repatriation process.

The ambassador said during his tenure, he would “rigorously” work to implement the initiatives following the visit of Chinese President Xi Jingping to Bangladesh in 2016 when both countries elevated their relations to strategic level.

“Bangladesh is an important neighbour for China,” he said.