Ahead of the Chinese president’s visit, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks to Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Bangladesh will usher in a new era of bilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told the Chinese government press agency Xinhua.
“We are very happy and feel honored that President Xi is coming to Bangladesh. I believe that President Xi’s visit will also be more important for South Asia,” Hasina told Xinhua at her official residence Ganobhaban in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Xi Jinping is coming to Bangladesh from Cambodia on a two-day milestone visit on October 14. It will be the first state visit of a Chinese president to Bangladesh in 30 years. The last visit was in 1986 when then Chinese president Li Xiannian visited Dhaka.
The relations between the two countries are underpinned by “the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existance, Spirit of Good Neighborliness, Mutual Trust, Confidence and Non- Interference into each other’s internal affairs.”
Hasina told Xinhua that Bangladesh strongly adheres to one-China policy and supports China on issues related to its core national interests and efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Chinese president’s visit comes at a time in history when Bangladesh is about to break free from the clutches of low-level equilibrium trap and move into a brand-new frontier of investment, industrialisation, ecological restoration and prosperity for all, Hasina said in the interview.
“China has become our largest trading partner and we consider China a trusted partner in realising our dreams too. China is the leading generator of many our mega-projects in terms of finance, capitalisation and technology,” she said.
Ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit, Chinese ambassador in Dhaka Ma Mingqiang indicated that Chinese investment in Bangladesh would increase significantly.
“I do believe it will be the number one investor in Bangladesh.” he said at an event.
Hasina also told Xinhua that Bangladesh was planning to elevate the relationship to a newer height with the much-awaited visit of President Xi Jinping.
”Bangladesh-China cooperation has matured in the past decades but there are huge potentials for expansion of the engagement in fields such as infrastructure development, she said.
Bangladesh is investing in emerging sectors like ICT, agro-processing and electronics, she told Xinhua.
Hailing China-proposed Belt and Road initiative, Hasina said Bangladesh is now working to connect growth centers of the country with rest of the South Asian region and create a single economic contiguity between South Asia and Southeast Asia.
And this “would be host to greater integration with East Asia and connect the three ecosystems to the rest of the world through our seaports in the south,” she added.
The prime minister welcomed Chinese companies investing in the country’s emerging sectors like textiles, leather, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding and agro-processing, among others.
She also spoke to Xinhua about the the exclusive Economic and Industrial Zone in Chittagong for China and said it would be a landmark event in the two nation’s economic, investment and trade cooperation.
Source: New Age