In recent days, a new group of Bangladeshi youth and women representatives – averaging under 35 years of age – has quietly emerged as a notable force in China-Bangladesh people-to-people exchanges. Many of them come from the youth wings of political parties or social movements. They are not passive tourists on a cursory visit. Rather, they are ‘development scouts’ who have come to China in search of solutions to the pressing development challenges facing their own country.
This energetic and dynamic delegation visited Chongqing and Shanghai from June 5 to June 13. Their packed itinerary offered a glimpse into many facets of China’s social and economic development. In Chongqing, they not only experienced cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies but also visited the Chaotianmen wholesale market to experience the vibrant everyday life of the ‘Mountain City.’ They explored grassroots governance practices in Minzhu Village and toured enterprises to see how technology is being used to improve energy efficiency and promote sustainable development.
In Shanghai, the delegation visited the Shanghai Youth Management College (Shanghai Communist Youth League School) and an AI research institute, while also experiencing traditional Chinese martial arts. Looking into their eyes, one could almost see their hopes and aspirations for Bangladesh’s future taking shape.
Jannatul Nawrin Urmi, assistant general secretary of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal Central Committee, told me that her previous impression of China had largely been shaped by media reports emphasising the country’s scale and speed of development. “What actually struck me was the orderliness beneath that speed,” she said. “For example, I was impressed by how seamlessly high-tech systems, such as facial recognition for metro entry and QR code-based street vending, coexist with traditional community life.”
She said the Shanghai Youth Management College left the strongest impression on her. There, she observed what she described as a structured and modern system for cultivating young political leaders, with a strong emphasis on organisational skills, discipline, and up-to-date education.
“Youth can be transformed into skilled leaders through systematic training, not just rhetoric,” she said. “Strong organisational frameworks help channel young people’s energy into nation-building.”
What is particularly noteworthy is that these young Bangladeshi elites are not fixated on the familiar narratives of ‘China’s speed’ or ‘China’s massive scale’ often emphasised by Western and even domestic media. Instead, they have shown a keen ability to identify the underlying drivers behind China’s development success – order, systematic planning, and refined governance – as well as a remarkable capacity to draw lessons from China’s experience for their own country’s development.
One example stood out during the trip. While visiting a manufacturing park, the delegation learned how a textile factory shared logistics and energy-recycling systems with a nearby electronics assembly plant. Jannatul Nawrin Urmi noted that the experience resonated strongly with her, given that Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment manufacturing hub. “The moment I thought, ‘Bangladesh needs this,’ was when a factory manager explained how they use real-time data dashboards to reduce electricity waste by 18 percent without slowing production,” she said. “In Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector, such low-cost efficiency tools could significantly enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises.”
Jannatul Nawrin Urmi also highlighted another three practices that particularly impressed her: community-based waste sorting programmes with door-to-door incentive systems, digital ‘grid management’ in which each neighbourhood has a dedicated liaison officer who uses a city app to resolve complaints – such as broken streetlights – within 24 hours, and the creation of small green public spaces on former industrial sites through community participation.
“Bangladesh could adapt the grid management model at the ward level in cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong, starting with issues like garbage collection and drainage complaints, which are among the most common grassroots concerns,” she said.
For Bangladesh, which is currently at a critical stage of industrialisation and urbanisation, this practical perspective offers an invaluable source of cross-national learning. The most transferable aspect of China’s development experience is its governance logic – one characterised by low costs, practical implementation, and strong organisational capacity.
Another example is also striking. After observing how automation, artificial intelligence, and digital management make production processes faster, more accurate, and more environmentally friendly while at the same time, employees receive continuous training and research opportunities to enhance their skills during his China tour, Arafat Billah Khan, former Assistant Training Affairs Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of Jubodal, said he believes Bangladesh also needs stronger connections between industry, academia, and research institutions.
From this week-long journey, what I witnessed was not only the ambition of these young Bangladeshi representatives for their country’s urbanisation and development, but also their appreciation for the practical, cost-effective solutions they observed in Chinese cities.
The strong interest these young Bangladeshis have shown in issues such as vocational education, digital governance, women’s empowerment, and industrial clustering reflects a broader pragmatic shift among the country’s next generation of elites. Their priorities suggest a growing focus on practical solutions and institution-building rather than abstract development narratives.
If China-Bangladesh people-to-people exchanges continue to focus on this triangle of ‘youth, skills, and governance,’ they will help cultivate a new generation of Bangladeshis with a deeper understanding of China and its development experience. More importantly, such exchanges can strengthen China-Bangladesh cooperation within the framework of South-South cooperation, enabling China to contribute valuable development insights and practical experience to Bangladesh’s modernisation efforts.
The writer is the Deputy Director, News Desk, Global Times. E-mail: [email protected]
