Cooperation between Bangladesh and China must go on, says Chief Advisor Yunus

“He (Xi Jinping) told me that he had read my book and followed its principles. That was a very happy moment for me,” Yunus tells delegation

A delegation of the China-Bangladesh Partnership Forum has met Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.

The delegation included senior Chinese academics, investors, and industry leaders from the biomedical, infrastructure, digital, and legal sectors.

Xin-yuan Fu, a leading Chinese biomedical scientist and director of the West China School of Medicine at Sichuan University, commended Prof Yunus’s vision and said he was very much looking forward to working with the Bangladeshi academics and contributing to improving people’s lives during the visit on Wednesday.

Andrew Zilong Wong, senior advisor to the Board of Directors of Walvax Biotechnology, and Yuqing Yao, managing director of Walvax Biotech (Singapore), shared their experience and interest in working with Bangladesh. Walvax has exported its vaccines to at least 22 countries.

The company has established local subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Indonesia and is exploring the localisation of PCV and HPV vaccines. In Indonesia, it has signed an agreement with a business partner, indicating a move toward building local capacity.

The delegation also included Jinsong Wang, vice president of the Robotics Society of Singapore; Yuan Feng, chair of the management committee of Fordall Law Firm; Li Ran, managing director of Beijing Wutong Asset Management; Gao Zhipeng, vice president for International Investment and Projects at China State Construction Engineering Corporation; Xu Tianzhao, Investment Director of China Hunan Construction Investment Group; Hua Jie, Vice President of China CCC Engineering Group; Chen Shujian, general manager for overseas markets at PowerChina Overseas Investment Group; Professor Ma Xiaoyuan of Yunnan University; and Alex Wang Zekai, secretary-general of the China-Bangladesh Partnership Forum.

They informed the chief advisor that they had engaged with several university students in Bangladesh on artificial intelligence and digitalisation and expressed their admiration of the talent and potential of young Bangladeshi minds.

During the meeting, Yunus recalled his long-standing relationship with China, which began through the microcredit movement.

“I had the opportunity to visit remote villages in China and see how people’s lives were being transformed. Later, the Chinese government launched its own programmes inspired by these principles,” the chief advisor said.

Recalling his visit to China in March, Yunus said he had met President Xi Jinping during the visit.

“He told me that he had read my book and followed its principles. That was a very happy moment for me,” he said.

Yunus noted that although a new government would soon take office, cooperation between Bangladesh and China must continue.

“In a few weeks, I will be out of this office and a new government will form, but the work between our two countries must go on,” he said.

The delegation thanked CA Yunus and discussed opportunities for collaboration in the health, infrastructure, and digital sectors.

Highlighting the interim government’s priorities, the chief advisor said health remains the top concern.

“Our highest priority is healthcare—how to integrate digital technology so that doctors and patients can connect effectively, medical histories can be preserved digitally, and appointments can be accessed easily,” he said.

He also emphasised the need for social business models in the pharmaceutical sector.

“Medicines cost pennies to produce, yet are sold for dollars. We want to encourage the establishment of social business pharmaceutical companies that focus on helping people, not just profits,” he said.

Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, the chief advisor recalled Bangladesh’s advocacy for patent-free vaccines.

“We raised our voices for patent-free vaccines and faced resistance. When the vote came, 10 countries abstained. They said rich countries would buy vaccines and donate them to poor nations. We said we don’t need gifts. People were dying while others were making money. This is a shame,” he said.

Yunus also shared his vision of establishing a “health city” in the north of Bangladesh.

“During my visit to China, I proposed building a 1,000-bed international hospital in northern Bangladesh. It is a poor region but strategically located near India, Nepal, and Bhutan,” he said.

He explained that the proposed health city would include hospitals, medical colleges, research centres, vaccine production facilities, pharmaceutical industries, and medical equipment hubs.

“All health-related activities would be located in one city. People from India, Nepal, and Bhutan could also benefit by accessing quality healthcare facilities there,” he added.

The chief advisor expressed his gratitude to the government of China for its continued support and cooperation.