China wants to invest in solar panels in Bangladesh and deepen trade and economic ties with Dhaka.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi made the announcement yesterday when he called on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York.
The Chinese foreign minister described Yunus as “an old friend of the Chinese people,” and he congratulated the chief adviser for assuming the leadership of the interim government.
“We have full confidence that you will live up to the expectations of the people,” he said, adding he would unite the country.
Wang Yi said China would attach importance to Yunus’s call to Chinese solar panel manufacturers to set up plants in Bangladesh.
The chief adviser made the call when Chinese ambassador to Dhaka paid a courtesy call on him last month.
The Chinese foreign minister said Beijing would also encourage greater cooperation and partnership between the companies of two nations. He said Bangladesh would also benefit from the Chinese decision to allow zero tariff access to all goods from the Least Developed Countries.
He further said Chinese Red Cross has sent a team of doctors to treat the students and people who were grievously injured during the July-August mass uprising.
China would welcome more students from Bangladesh, he said.
Yunus thanked China for the gesture.
He said Chinese solar companies could invest in a bigger way in Bangladesh, which enjoys preferable market access to many rich nations.
He also called other Chinese manufacturers to relocate their factories to Bangladesh.
The chief adviser stressed closer relations with China and opening “a new chapter” in the ties between the two nations.
He also called for increasing technological collaboration between the companies of both the nations.
“We will love to collaborate with Chinese companies. We have a lot of scope to work together,” he said.
Daily Star