Tarique says Malaysia, China visits put Bangladesh's interests above all else

Any gains from the visits belong to the people of Bangladesh, the prime minister says

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said his recent visits to Malaysia and China were guided by a “Bangladesh First” policy, aimed at protecting national interests and speaking for the people.

He told parliament on Saturday this was the principle behind his engagements abroad after the House unanimously passed a motion thanking him for the two-nation trip.

The prime minister said the people had entrusted his government with the responsibility of safeguarding their interests.

Referring to his party’s political position, the BNP chief said the “Bangladesh First” principle remained central to its approach.

He said he had tried to uphold that position by speaking for the country and its people during the tour.

Earlier in the session, Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir placed the motion, calling the visits an “unprecedented success”.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman joined the discussion before the proposal was adopted by voice vote.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad later informed the prime minister that members from both Treasury and Opposition benches had backed the motion.

He said lawmakers believed the visits had strengthened Bangladesh’s global standing and opened a new horizon in the country’s foreign and economic policy.

Tarique began his first foreign trip as prime minister in Malaysia on Jun 21 before travelling to China, where he met President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

Bangladesh signed 17 memorandums of understanding with China and exchanged one memorandum and two documents with Malaysia.