As the new year begins, everything takes on a new look. In the year 2025, the China-Bangladesh relationship will usher in its 50th year of dynamic development. At the start of the new year, I would like to extend my New Year greetings and best wishes to all the people of Bangladesh. I wish the nation of Bangladesh prosperity and stability, and the people happiness and health.
In 2024, the world witnessed further transformation and instability, marked by protracted and intensified geopolitical conflicts, repeated attempts to decouple and sever supply chains, and the rapid rise of the Global South. It has become all the more clear where the once-in-a-century transformations are heading. In 2024, China acted on the blueprint drawn up at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and made big strides in comprehensively deepening reform. Marking the 75th anniversary of its founding, China carried forward its great cause of national development and pressed ahead with Chinese modernisation with vigour and determination. In 2024, facing a critical juncture in history, we upheld fundamental principles while breaking new ground in diplomacy, and we responded to a fast-changing landscape with composure and confidence. Our diplomatic efforts have helped foster a favourable external environment for China’s high-quality development and provided much-needed stability to a turbulent world.
China has always been an important member of the Global South. We have been committed to promoting unity and revitalisation of the Global South, promoting the cause of global development, and ensuring no country is left behind on the path to modernisation. President Xi Jinping called for more open and inclusive Global South cooperation and announced eight measures in support of Global South cooperation. We have made substantive progress in promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in light of the urgent needs of many countries. With 155 countries joining the big family of Belt and Road cooperation, this road to happiness is growing ever broader. Given the widening development deficit, President Xi Jinping announced at the G20 Summit China’s eight actions to support global development, which include strengthening cooperation with other countries in key areas such as poverty reduction, food security, and scientific and technological innovation.
Over the past year, a remarkable new chapter has been written in head-of-state diplomacy, which has steered the trend of the times toward peace, development, and win-win cooperation. Breakthroughs have been made in building a community with a shared future for mankind, which has shaped the historical trend toward a shared future and greater solidarity in our global village. We have provided new opportunities for the world with Chinese modernisation, which has promoted the development trend of modernisation in countries around the world. China’s cooperation with other developing countries has set a fine example, which has reinforced the trend of uniting for strength within the Global South. China has made new progress in pursuing all-round diplomacy, which has built up the trend toward a new type of international relations.
Facing the future, China will continue to bear in mind the larger picture, shoulder responsibilities for the greater good, and advance the right and just cause. We will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, and do our best to promote world peace, tranquillity, and the common progress of humanity.
HE Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, points out that China and Bangladesh are friendly neighbours who know each other well. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have always respected and supported each other, treated each other as equals, and cooperated for win-win results, setting an example of friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries, especially among Global South countries. Honourable Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said that Bangladesh and he himself have forged long-standing friendly ties with China. This year, under the guidance of the top leadership of the two sides, and with the firm support of the two peoples, China-Bangladesh relations have continued to develop, and the profound friendship between the peoples has grown even stronger. This year, the China-Bangladesh relationship withstood the test of drastic political changes in Bangladesh, maintained the momentum of development, and demonstrated great resilience and vitality.
Mutual respect and trust are the solid foundation of the China-Bangladesh relationship. As the Bangladeshi proverb says, “Friendship is not a rope, but a bond of hearts,” true friendship is not based on external constraints, but on an inner connection. China has always supported Bangladesh in pursuing an independent foreign policy, following a path of development in line with its national conditions, safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and opposing any external interference. China respects the development path independently chosen by the Bangladeshi people and pursues a policy of friendship and good neighbourliness towards all Bangladeshi people. No matter how the domestic situation in Bangladesh may evolve, the core of the China-Bangladesh relationship, which is based on mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, will not change; the foundation of friendship between the two peoples will not change; and the determination of the two governments and people of all sectors in the two countries to support and promote the development of bilateral relations will not change. China sincerely hopes that, under the guidance of the interim government led by Honourable Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the reforms will proceed, the political situation will stabilise, the economy will flourish, and people’s livelihoods will continue to improve.
Mutual benefit is the strong driving force for the China-Bangladesh relationship. China is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh. The China-Bangladesh relationship has been elevated to a new historical height of comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Under the new circumstances, jointly advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation is even more opportune, and the room for further developing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is even broader. Since the establishment of the interim government, 12 Chinese enterprises have invested a total of $210 million in Bangladesh. China will provide 1 billion yuan of grants to Bangladesh for livelihood projects agreed upon by both sides. The total amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Bangladesh declined by 8.8 percent, but the FDI from China experienced a remarkable threefold increase compared to the previous fiscal year. China has pledged further expansion of its opening up to Bangladesh and will continue to provide Bangladesh with zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of its taxable items before it graduates from the category of least developed countries. China will import fresh mangoes from Bangladesh and vigorously engage in practical cooperation with Bangladesh in the fields of photovoltaics, agriculture, low-carbon development, and so forth. These pragmatic initiatives fully reflect the firm support of the Chinese government for the Bangladesh interim government, and will certainly contribute to the economic and social development of the country and benefit the people of the two countries.
Mutual assistance is the warm bond of the China-Bangladesh relationship. At the request of the interim government, China dispatched a National Emergency Medical Rescue Team to Bangladesh to provide humanitarian and emergency assistance to those injured during the July-August movement. It was the first medical rescue team dispatched by a foreign government since the formation of the interim government. When Bangladesh was struggling against floods and dengue fever, China was the first to lend a helping hand by visiting the affected areas and providing Bangladesh with life-saving equipment and facilities in response to the floods. At present, direct flights between the two capitals have been launched and operated, with as many as 58 flights per week between the two countries, which can accommodate more than 11,000 passengers. The flights substantially facilitated the exchange of personnel between both sides. Currently, there are nearly 15,000 Bangladeshi students studying in China, building a solid bridge for cultural and academic exchanges between the two countries. Teachers at the two Confucius Institutes and one Confucius Classroom in Bangladesh have taught nearly 3,000 students in the past year. This has further strengthened people-to-people exchanges, laying the foundation for the friendly relations between the two countries.
The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Bangladesh diplomatic relationship and the China-Bangladesh Year of People-to-People Exchanges. China will work together with Bangladesh and stay committed to the principles of mutual respect, mutual support, equality, and win-win cooperation. China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to support each other on issues concerning core interests such as sovereignty, security, and development, to strengthen cooperation and collaboration under the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, advocate the common values of humanity, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
China will continue to maintain high-level exchanges and friendly cooperation between political parties, strengthen coordination of policies and synergy between development strategies, carry out more exchanges of experience on governance, and optimise cooperation mechanisms at all levels and in all fields. China supports Bangladesh in becoming a BRICS partner country and playing a more active role in regional organisations such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. We will also continue efforts for the political settlement of the Rohingya crisis.
China will continue to work with Bangladesh on the path to modernisation, promote the implementation of the eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and carry out the construction of major landmark projects and “small and beautiful” livelihood programmes. China will also strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh in photovoltaics, water resources, poverty alleviation, green and low-carbon development, and explore specific measures to promote the implementation of the vision of “three zeroes.” We will encourage more Chinese companies to invest in manufacturing industries and promote the integrated development of the industrial chain and supply chain between the two countries.
China will continue to enhance friendly cooperation in such fields as culture, education, tourism, sports, health, youth, women, media, and think tanks. We will take a series of practical measures to facilitate cross-border travel and form a new pattern of non-governmental exchanges. By doing so, the friendship between our two peoples will be further strengthened, bringing more tangible benefits to the peoples, and making the China-Bangladesh comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership deeper and more substantive.
Yao Wen is the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh.
daily star
