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Published : 19 Feb 2025, 02:23 AM
China's Ambassador to Dhaka Yao Wen has stressed the need to move quickly with a stalled project surrounding the Teesta River to "alleviate people's suffering”, stating that they have received no response from the Bangladesh government about its launch in two years.
Speaking at a media briefing in Dhaka on Tuesday amid a 48-hour sit-in in five northern districts demanding river protection, he said: “We know the people’s problems in the Teesta basin; they want the project to be implemented quickly.
“China will continue to work with the interim government of Bangladesh. We look forward to their response so that China can begin the process of supporting the project.
“We want this project to be launched as soon as possible, whether it is by China or Bangladesh. So that people can benefit from it. We are ready for a prompt start to alleviate the people's sufferings."
The Bangladesh government undertook the “Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project” amid the stagnation of the Teesta water-sharing treaty with India.
Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina sought the Chinese government’s support in this and some other projects during her visit to Beijing in July 2019, according to media reports.
Under the project, in addition to building infrastructure for the management of the river's banks, additional infrastructure was to be built to control floods and alleviate water shortages during the summer, the BBC reported at that time.
The Chinese company PowerChina was tasked with preparing a plan for the project, one that included all the major rivers of Bangladesh. However, the implementation of the Teesta project with Chinese assistance stalled due to India's objections.
Following the changeover in power in Bangladesh, the situation has changed.
A 48-hour programme, mostly led by BNP, has been ongoing in five districts of the northern Teesta region such as Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram, and Gaibandha, since Monday to demand the implementation of the Teesta River Water Sharing Agreement and the Master Plan.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir inaugurated the demonstration while the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman addressed the concluding session on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Chinese ambassador briefed the media in Dhaka on Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain’s visit to Beijing and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In the briefing, Ambassador Yao highlighted various aspects of the Chinese government's engagement with the Teesta project while responding to questions.
He said the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project is a government-to-government, or G2G, project.
“It's a big project for us. That is why we have proposed Bangladesh to implement it in phases. In the first phase, China suggested the ‘flood prevention and response project’. We have given feedback to the Economic Relations Division in 2023.”
Pointing out that even after two years, there has been no response from the Bangladesh side, Yao said: “We are still waiting hoping that the Teesta project will be implemented as soon as possible.”
He said the project is important for the welfare of people living along the river banks.
"I want to say that this is a project of Bangladesh, as a sovereign state, it is completely under your jurisdiction to decide how the project will be implemented."
