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Visiting Governor of the Yunnan Province Wang Yubo on Sunday proposed three suggestions for strengthening ties between Bangladesh and China, noting that President Xi Jinping has been attentive to the development of Yunnan Province and has given a series of important instructions on its development direction and priorities.
"We firmly believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, the path of friendly cooperation between Yunnan and Bangladesh will grow ever wider, making even greater contributions to the building of high-quality Belt and Road," he said, warmly inviting their friends from Bangladesh to visit Yunnan, where they can experience "Yunnan: a many-splendored life " and share "opportunities called Yunnan."
Yubo was speaking at the launching ceremony of Yunnan Provincial Education and Medical Exhibition at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium, Dhaka University.
Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum attended the event as the chief guest. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and DU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan, among others, spoke at the event.
Regarding his three suggestions, the Governor said, first, join hands to advance the modernisation of education. "Second, join hands to promote the building of a shared community for health and wellness. Thirdly, let us join hands to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in tourism," he said.
Governor Yubu said Yunnan has more than 90 universities, offering 15 languages programmes that cover languages of countries in South and Southeast Asia with which China has established diplomatic relations, and it is one of the key overseas study destinations for South Asian students.
Bangladesh has the rich experience in higher education, vocational education and well-known institutions like the University of Dhaka, he said.
"We warmly welcome more Bangladeshi students to study in Yunnan and encourage more teachers to engage in academic exchange here," said the Governor.
Yunnan, in collaboration with China's top hospitals, has established national regional medical centers specialising in cardiovascular, oncology, respiratory and other fields, he said.
"We look forward to deepening cooperation in areas such as disease prevention, maternal and child healthcare, elderly healthcare, as well as advancing public welfare projects," he said.
In 2024, the province welcomed 700 million visitors, with domestic travelers accounting for over 50% and over 6 million inbound tourists visiting Yunnan. Nearly 4 million tourists stayed in Yunnan for more than 15 days.
He said Yunnan will actively optimise visa and customs procedures, enhance transportation and payment conveniences, and improve comprehensive inbound tourism services, ensuring that Bangladeshi tourists find their trips easy, comfortable and delightful.
Ambassador Yao said Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus visited China and reached a broad consensus with President Xi Jinping.
"It sends a strong political signal that our mutual support is firm and unshakable," he said, adding that it also marks that the Bangladesh-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership has now stepped onto a new and higher level.
"At the new stage, we will do our utmost to deliver on the results of the visit," the Ambassador said, adding that Governor Wang's visit-the first high-level exchange since the Chief Adviser's visit-demonstrates China's commitment to actions.
He said they will take this as an opportunity, continue to enhance our political mutual trust and further consolidate personnel and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries.
At the new stage, the Ambassador said, they will continue to uphold the people-centered approach in our cooperation, tapping growth potential and forging new highlights.
Education and public health are important for the country's development and people's happiness, he said, adding that they are also their cooperation priorities in the next steps.