Bangladesh, China show interest in regional connectivity under BRI
Bangladesh and China on Saturday discussed contributing to the connectivity in this region under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) while the two countries' high officials gathered at the 12th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Dhaka.
"Both sides also showed interest in contributing to regional connectivity in South and South East Asia under the auspices of the Belt and Road Initiative of China," said a press release issued by Bangladesh's foreign ministry here.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Chinese Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Sun Weidong led their respective sides at the FOC at the State Guest House "Padma" in the capital.
Apart from various bilateral issues, both sides discussed other multilateral and regional issues including the Rohingya crisis.
The Chinese side reiterated to facilitate the early, safe, sustainable and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas to Rakhine State from Bangladesh.
The Chinese vice minister mentioned that early repatriation would be beneficial for Bangladesh, Myanmar and the whole region.
The Chinese side appreciated the initiatives of Bangladesh to arrange the "Go and See" visit in Myanmar and the "Come and Talk" visit in Bangladesh by the respective delegations of Bangladesh and Myanmar to facilitate the repatriation of the first batch of the pilot project.
Bangladesh's foreign secretary thanked China for their cooperation and emphasised Bangladesh's ongoing efforts to arrange continued voluntary and sustainable repatriation engaging friendly countries and regional and international organisations.
During the talk, Sun mentioned that he is visiting Dhaka after ten years and is very impressed to see Bangladesh's tremendous development achievements carried out by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Chinese side reiterated its appreciation to Bangladesh for its continued support of the One China Policy.
The two sides expressed satisfaction with the existing defence cooperation and discussed possibilities of regular staff-level talks and specialised training programmes.
They recalled the recent high-level political exchanges and meetings that have further deepened the strategic partnership of cooperation.
Bangladesh once again thanked China for its support for vaccines to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two sides reviewed the progress of different quality infrastructure projects in Bangladesh and welcomed the upcoming inauguration of mega projects like the Bangabandhu Tunnel under the river Karnaphuli and the Padma Bridge Rail-link.
Both sides agreed to further streamline the outstanding issues concerning a few additional project proposals in the power and communication sectors.
The two sides also discussed ways to enhance the exports to China by utilizing the Duty and Quota Free (DFQF) access to 98% of the products that have come to effect on 1 September 2022.
The Chinese side expressed particular interest in importing tropical fruits like mango, jackfruit, guava and frozen foods from Bangladesh in compliance with necessary quality specifications.
Bangladesh's side requested to include other export items like vegetables, pharmaceuticals, raw hides, foot wares, and non-knit apparel, in the DFQF coverage to minimize the existing trade imbalance with China.
The Chinese vice minister assured of encouraging the Chinese farms to invest in the Chinese Special Economic Zone in Chattogram.
They also advised timely notification of interest with the Chinese Civil Aviation Authority for resuming the Dhaka-Guanzhu direct flight by Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
Two sides agreed to launch regular Consular Consultations to address visa-related issues, especially for Bangladeshi students.
Bangladesh expressed its interest in working together with China on innovation in digital technologies and biotechnologies.
China offered its support to build capacity for addressing emerging challenges like online gambling and drug trafficking.
The two sides agreed in principle to have dedicated dialogue on public security issues.
Bangladesh thanked China for sharing meteorological satellite information during natural calamities like cyclones and floods.