Bangladesh and China have elevated their “closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation” to a “strategic partnership for cooperation” and agreed on working together on regional and international issues.
Both countries also agreed to jointly advance the China’s ‘belt and road initiative’ and establish and carry out “institutional cooperation” in areas of maritime cooperation and counterterrorism.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina disclosed their “elevated” level of cooperation at a joint statement after their official talks on Friday at the latter’s office.
They witnessed the signing of 27 deals and unveiled plaques of six projects. The prime minister said those have created a platform for “our two countries to cooperate at a higher plane”.
Xi arrived in Dhaka on Friday morning on a two-day state visit, first by any Chinese president in past 30 years.
“We agreed to elevate China-Bangladesh relations from a closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation to a strategic partnership of cooperation and to increase high level exchanges and strategic communication so that our bilateral relations continue to move ahead at higher level,” Xi said.
He termed Bangladesh and China “good neighbours, good friends and good partners.”
“China, Bangladesh relationship is now at a new historical starting point and heading toward a promising future,” Xi said.
“China is ready to work with Bangladesh to move forward as friends and partners who trust and support each other and to add more substance to China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation.”
“This way China-Bangladesh cooperation will deliver more fruits to our people and contribute to peace, stability and development of the region,” President Xi continued.
“We agreed to form synergy between our respective development strategies, jointly advance the belt and road initiative and launch the joint feasibility study on a China, Bangladesh FTA to strengthen our trade and investment cooperation and strength practical cooperation in key areas such as infrastructure, productivity capacity, energy and power, transportation, ICT and agriculture.”
He said China would “continue to do its best” to provide capital, technological and human resources support and carry out “more cooperation” on big projects with Bangladesh to support its economical and social development.
“We agreed to designate the year of 2017 as year of exchange and friendship between China and Bangladesh during which colorful events will be held to carry forward our traditional friendship,” the Chinese leader revealed.
He said they also agreed to jointly advance the BCIM economic corridor and increase communication and coordination of international and regional issues of shared interest.
Prime Minister Hasina in her statement reiterated that Bangladesh supports China in all of its core issues including “one China policy”.
“We have agreed to work closely and support each other on regional and international issues of mutual interest.”
“Our efforts today are aimed at attaining goals of becoming a knowledge-based middle-income country by 2021 and eventually a developed country by 2041,” she said.
The Chinese president will leave Dhaka on Sunday morning to attend the BRICS outreach summit in Goa.
Source: Bd news 24