Bangladesh’s strategic and economic ties with China should be strengthened as a priority for economic recovery and development, Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Zahir Uddin Swapon said on Sunday.
He made the remarks at a reception hosted at a hotel in Dhaka in honour of a visiting high-level Chinese delegation led by Zhao Junmin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China’s Yunnan Provincial Committee.
Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, BNP Vice-Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, lawmaker Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen were present at the event.
Swapan said Bangladesh-China diplomatic relations, which began in 1976 under the leadership of former president Ziaur Rahman, had later been strengthened under the leadership of Khaleda Zia and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
He said China’s manufacturing capacity and technological advantages, combined with Bangladesh’s young workforce, could help accelerate the country’s economic recovery.
Highlighting the trade imbalance between the two countries, Swapan said Bangladesh imports goods worth more than $22 billion annually from China, while exports to China remain below $1 billion.
He said the Chinese government had provided nearly 100 per cent duty-free access for Bangladeshi products, along with a free display centre in Kunming and a 2,000-square-kilometre storage facility to help expand trade.
Swapan said the opening of a new economic corridor connecting Kunming through Myanmar to Chattogram Port and road networks could create new opportunities for trade and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and China.
He also praised Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen, who is scheduled to complete his diplomatic assignment in Bangladesh on 3 October, for his contribution to bilateral relations and expressed hope that trade and economic ties between the two countries would continue to grow.
Members of the Chinese delegation and political leaders were also present at the programme.
