Dhaka to share concerns over Rohingya issue with Beijing
China may face problem in achieving its goal if regional uncertainty prevails, says FM
Bangladesh will convey its fear of "radicalism and uncertainty" in the region on security front to China due to the prolonged stay of Rohingyas in Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit scheduled for July 1-5.
"If the problem [Rohingya crisis] remains unresolved for a long time, there's a possibility of growing some pockets of radicalism. If terrorist acts grow, there'll be uncertainty in the entire region," said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday.
The Foreign Minister said China might face problem in achieving its desired goal if uncertainty prevails in the region.
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Dr Momen said the Rohingya issue will be there on the priority list during Prime Minister's visit to China while the investment issue will come up as a relevant one.
"China is investing a lot in Myanmar. China has also invested in Bangladesh. The investment will bring no benefit if there's no peace and discipline. We'll also convey it to China," said Dr Momen while talking to a small group of reporters at his office.
The Foreign Minister mentioned that the government of Bangladesh has so far kept Rohingyas under control.
He said peace needs to be ensured in the region for the betterment of Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.
Dr Momen said China is with Bangladesh on the matter of repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is currently hosting 1.2 million Rohingyas, mostly entered the country since August 25, 2017.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh had a plan to send back the Rohingyas within two years as per the agreement signed with Myanmar.
He said Bangladesh wants China to push Myanmar to resume the repatriation process during Prime Minister Hasina's upcoming China visit.
Bangladesh and China plan to bolster their "strategic partnership" taking it to a new height during Hasina's this crucial visit "bringing big" for expediting the country's ongoing development.
Bangladesh formally joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during Chinese President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh in October 2016. Under the BRI framework, China wants to share its development experiences with other countries and improve connectivity between Asia and Europe and Africa.
The Chinese government's invitation to the Prime Minister is also meant for attending the annual meeting of the "New Champions" which is known as "Summer Davos" to be held in Dalian, China on July 1-3, an official told UNB.
This is going to be the first bilateral visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing after her party's absolute majority in the last parliamentary elections.
The Prime Minister will have important meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang during her visit and will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in broader areas.
A good number of bilateral documents are likely to be signed during the visit ranging from economic, culture, power and ICT.
Prime Minister Hasina is expected to have an "exclusive meeting" on July 2 with the founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum (WEF) Prof Klaus Schwab in Dalian, China, said an official.
She is also expected to be a panellist at a session on Cooperation in the Pacific Rim at the WEF Dalian.
