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Chinese foreign minister's visit to Dhaka
Chinese Foreign minister Yang Jiechi arrived in Dhaka on April 24 on a two-day visit. He was warmly welcomed at the airport by his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.
On the same day, both the government leaders held bilateral talks. The foreign minister met with the chief adviser on April 24 and invited him to visit China later this year.
At the end of bilateral talks with the foreign affairs adviser, Foreign Minister Jiechi reportedly said at a joint press conference: "China deeply appreciates Bangladesh's firm support for the One China policy and for what China has done to protect the interests of the Tibetan people."
During the visit, it is reported that the Chinese foreign minister offered Tk. 6 billion in "free aid" to Bangladesh's development, and Tk.5 million in "token gift" to mark his visit. The two countries signed an exchange of notes for construction of Bangladesh-China Exhibition Centre in Dhaka involving Tk. 1,890 million.
He also indicated that China was willing to assist Bangladesh in energy generation, including nuclear energy through the Ruppur 300-500 MW plant.
It is reported that the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that military to military cooperation was an important part of overall bilateral relations between Bangladesh and China. Jiechi, who met the army chief, General Moeen U. Ahmed, made the remark to journalists.
He conveyed greetings of the Chinese defence minister to General Moeen U. Ahmed. During the meeting, they discussed exchange of training programs of military personnel of the two countries.
Why the visit?
The visit by the Chinese foreign minister aims to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation. Relations need to be nurtured occasionally through exchange of visits at a political level. However, this visit took place against the background of Bangladesh's position on the Olympics in August in Beijing. This time, the Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. It may be recalled that, on March 20, when his attention was drawn to reports of rioting in Tibet, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "Bangladesh looks forward to the successful holding of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and believes that no quarter should seek to politicise the Games." It was reported that Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury also telephoned the Chinese envoy in Dhaka, Ambassador Zheng Qingdian, to apprise him of Bangladesh's position in this regard. Dhaka's unambiguous stance on the Olympics must have pleased China, when the wave of violent protests by monks in Lhasa on March 14 could not have come at a worse time for the Chinese government. They do not want want the monks' protests to become the country's image before the Olympics in August. Furthermore, China's long-standing "three nos policy" to Taiwan are well known: No two China, no independence, no representation in international bodies. Bangladesh has always consistently supported, and is committed to, the One China policy. This means that Bangladesh considers that Taiwan is a province of China. It also regards Tibet as a part of China. Against this background, the Chinese foreign minister's presence in Bangladesh (he left on April 25 for Pakistan) appears to be a "thank you" visit for a friendly country, especially for the stand Bangladesh has taken on the Olympic Games and the Tibetan protests. Bilateral relations
China is only 100 miles from Bangladesh over the Himalayas. Because of the barrier of the mountain range, Bangladeshis can only visit China by air through the east. Guangzhou (Canton) stands on the same latitude as Dhaka, and is a two-hour journey from Dhaka. The cultural interaction between China and Bangladesh dates back to centuries. A Buddhist monk from Bangladesh, named Atish Dipankar, traveled to China in the 11th century and preached Buddhism there for 17 years. He died in modern day Chinese Tibet, and the Chinese government has returned his ashes to his place of birth in Dhaka as a mark of friendship between the two countries. Since 1975, bilateral relations between the two countries have been growing steadily over the years. Almost all heads of state or governments of Bangladesh visited China to consolidate relations. Successive governments have broadened economic and technical cooperation with China. A large portion of our infrastructure, including roads and bridges, power plants and mining and industrial establishments, was built with Chinese assistance and technology. The 4.8 kilometer bridge (Mukterpur Bridge) over the river Dhaleswari, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, was inaugurated on February 18, 2008 by the chief adviser. The Mukhterpur Bridge was the sixth one built with Chinese assistance during the last 20 years. All the bridges have contributed to the accelerated socio-economic growth of the country, besides facilitating the movement of people and goods throughout the length and breadth of the country. There have been regular people to people contacts at all levels, between government leaders and government officials, between political parties and eminent citizens and professionals and students. And over the past two decades, there has been increasing interaction among the businessmen and private sectors of the two countries. Bilateral relation reached its peak in 2005 when the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Premier Wen Jiabao paid a state visit to Bangladesh in April 2005 and the prime minister of Bangladesh paid her return visit to China in August 2005. As many as fourteen agreements on bilateral cooperation were signed during the two visits. This track record speaks for itself the relevance of Bangladesh in China's South Asia policy. Bangladesh-China cooperation was not limited to just bilateral relations. Bangladesh could find understanding in China of its problems and concerns to reduce poverty through economic growth and development. Generating $3.2 billion worth of trade volume in 2004, the Sino-Bangladesh relationship is founded on the cornerstone of economic cooperation. Bangladesh is also China's third largest trade partner in South Asia. Chinese entrepreneurs are encouraged to invest in Bangladesh in such areas as infrastructure, textiles, electronics, information technology and ceramics. Strategic importance of Bangladesh
The two countries have closely worked together in the multilateral forums, particularly in the United Nations, by keeping the focus on the development and peace issues. The strategic importance of Bangladesh in China's South Asia policy is obvious. Let me enumerate a few issues:
The visit by the Chinese foreign minister aims to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation. Relations need to be nurtured occasionally through exchange of visits at a political level. However, this visit took place against the background of Bangladesh's position on the Olympics in August in Beijing. This time, the Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. It may be recalled that, on March 20, when his attention was drawn to reports of rioting in Tibet, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "Bangladesh looks forward to the successful holding of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and believes that no quarter should seek to politicise the Games." It was reported that Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury also telephoned the Chinese envoy in Dhaka, Ambassador Zheng Qingdian, to apprise him of Bangladesh's position in this regard. Dhaka's unambiguous stance on the Olympics must have pleased China, when the wave of violent protests by monks in Lhasa on March 14 could not have come at a worse time for the Chinese government. They do not want want the monks' protests to become the country's image before the Olympics in August. Furthermore, China's long-standing "three nos policy" to Taiwan are well known: No two China, no independence, no representation in international bodies. Bangladesh has always consistently supported, and is committed to, the One China policy. This means that Bangladesh considers that Taiwan is a province of China. It also regards Tibet as a part of China. Against this background, the Chinese foreign minister's presence in Bangladesh (he left on April 25 for Pakistan) appears to be a "thank you" visit for a friendly country, especially for the stand Bangladesh has taken on the Olympic Games and the Tibetan protests. Bilateral relations
China is only 100 miles from Bangladesh over the Himalayas. Because of the barrier of the mountain range, Bangladeshis can only visit China by air through the east. Guangzhou (Canton) stands on the same latitude as Dhaka, and is a two-hour journey from Dhaka. The cultural interaction between China and Bangladesh dates back to centuries. A Buddhist monk from Bangladesh, named Atish Dipankar, traveled to China in the 11th century and preached Buddhism there for 17 years. He died in modern day Chinese Tibet, and the Chinese government has returned his ashes to his place of birth in Dhaka as a mark of friendship between the two countries. Since 1975, bilateral relations between the two countries have been growing steadily over the years. Almost all heads of state or governments of Bangladesh visited China to consolidate relations. Successive governments have broadened economic and technical cooperation with China. A large portion of our infrastructure, including roads and bridges, power plants and mining and industrial establishments, was built with Chinese assistance and technology. The 4.8 kilometer bridge (Mukterpur Bridge) over the river Dhaleswari, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, was inaugurated on February 18, 2008 by the chief adviser. The Mukhterpur Bridge was the sixth one built with Chinese assistance during the last 20 years. All the bridges have contributed to the accelerated socio-economic growth of the country, besides facilitating the movement of people and goods throughout the length and breadth of the country. There have been regular people to people contacts at all levels, between government leaders and government officials, between political parties and eminent citizens and professionals and students. And over the past two decades, there has been increasing interaction among the businessmen and private sectors of the two countries. Bilateral relation reached its peak in 2005 when the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Premier Wen Jiabao paid a state visit to Bangladesh in April 2005 and the prime minister of Bangladesh paid her return visit to China in August 2005. As many as fourteen agreements on bilateral cooperation were signed during the two visits. This track record speaks for itself the relevance of Bangladesh in China's South Asia policy. Bangladesh-China cooperation was not limited to just bilateral relations. Bangladesh could find understanding in China of its problems and concerns to reduce poverty through economic growth and development. Generating $3.2 billion worth of trade volume in 2004, the Sino-Bangladesh relationship is founded on the cornerstone of economic cooperation. Bangladesh is also China's third largest trade partner in South Asia. Chinese entrepreneurs are encouraged to invest in Bangladesh in such areas as infrastructure, textiles, electronics, information technology and ceramics. Strategic importance of Bangladesh
The two countries have closely worked together in the multilateral forums, particularly in the United Nations, by keeping the focus on the development and peace issues. The strategic importance of Bangladesh in China's South Asia policy is obvious. Let me enumerate a few issues:
- Bangladesh stands between China and India, and both are emerging as global economic and political powers. Bangladesh's cooperation may help achieve their goal in South Asia.
- Bangladesh has a sizeable middle class of about 40 million, and is emerging as a lucrative market for China.
- Bangladesh is a bridge between South-East Asia and South Asia. Bangladesh's membership in ARF (Asean Regional Forum) has made Bangladesh critically important for any country, which wishes to engage in South and South-East Asia.
- Bangladesh is a member of the Commonwealth, Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement and the UN. A few countries are members of all these organisations. Bangladesh can play an important role in ensuring global peace, harmony and stability through these organisations.
- Bangladesh is a moderate and tolerant Muslim-majority country. It is a multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-ethnic country (45 ethnic groups live in the country). It has considerable influence among the members of the OIC. Its role in curbing Islamic extremism within the country has been praised by the international community.
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