Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Thursday described Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s just‑concluded visit to China as a “complete success”, saying it injected strong momentum into Dhaka‑Beijing relations.
“It’s a complete success. It’s a milestone in Bangladesh-China relations which reached a new strategic height,” he told reporters at the Chinese embassy in the capital.
The ambassador said a new level of trust developed between the two countries with this visit and described the proposed Bangladesh-Mynamar China Economic Corridor as a new strategic opportunity.
Responding to a question, Ambassador Yao said the issue of building an Economic Corridor is not new as 15 years ago, there were discussions on Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor but there had been no progress.
He said China is determined to build the Bangladesh-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor for broader regional cooperation.
The ambassador said China remains open to India and any other countries to join, but those countries need to make decisions.
He also said the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) was highlighted during the visit as livelihoods of millions of people are involved. “Teesta is a Bangladesh project. It’s your project,” he added.
He also talked about the key achievements of Tarique’s China visit — the launch of a strategic dialogue at the foreign minister level and the exploration of a “2+2” dialogue mechanism covering diplomacy and defence.
Talking about defence cooperation, Ambassador Yao said Bangladesh-China cooperation is comprehensive, and the defence cooperation is part of that.
However, he declined to make comments on any specific defence purchase.
Director at the Embassy Zhang Jing was also present.
Bangladesh and China signed 17 bilateral instruments, including MoUs, agreements, a joint action plan, and an agricultural trade protocol, to further strengthen bilateral relations.
The two sides signed an MoU on promoting the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Another MoU on exchanges and cooperation between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Communist Party of China was also signed.
The GDI focuses on humanity’s shared development needs, aligns closely with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and addresses key global development challenges.
Bangladesh and China also agreed to deepen cooperation in integrated water resources management, water resources planning, hydrological forecasting, flood prevention and disaster reduction, river dredging, and related technology sharing.
PM Tarique returned home from Beijing on 26 June after wrapping up his first overseas tour, which included visits to Malaysia and China.
