China, Bangladesh natural cooperation partners, Chinese envoy says

“China and Bangladesh are natural cooperation partners”, said Yao Wen, newly appointed Ambassador of China, while addressing a programme organised by the Chinese Embassy to accord reception to him on Monday. 

General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff,  Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister, and Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, Secretary (West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs graced the reception.

More than 400 dignitaries from the Bangladeshi government, army, political parties, enterprises, universities, think tanks, media houses, foreign missions in Dhaka and the local Chinese community attended the event.

The Chinese Ambassador said that China and Bangladesh are developing countries with vast populations, adding that there is no unresolved dispute or historical burden between us.

“As close neighbours, the people of the two countries enjoy a natural sense of intimacy and similar ideas and values. In the 1950s, the founding father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited China twice.”

China-Bangladesh cooperation improves the well-being of our two peoples, said Ambassador Yao. 

“The cooperation on economy, trade and mega projects serves as the pillar of our bilateral relations,” he said, pointing out that a good number of roads, bridges, power plants, ports and other infrastructure projects have been completed, which have reshaped the landscape of Bangladesh, provided more than one million job opportunities, and promoted socio-economic development as well as people's livelihood in Bangladesh.

“Even more gratifying, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi people have developed self-reliance by working on these projects. Some even found their beloved and changed their destiny,” he said.

The potential of China-Bangladesh relations is unlimited”, said Ambassador Yao. 

“China has embarked on a new journey towards a modern socialist country in all respects, while Bangladesh is striving with no effort spared for the splendid dream of “Sonar Bangla” by working on the country’s Vision 2041”. 

He said both countries have the same goals and similar visions, and he is fully convinced that China-Bangladesh relations will set an excellent example for developing countries to understand, trust and support each other.

“Since March, flights between China and Bangladesh have been operating on daily basis, and therefore there will be more high-level visits, people-to-people contact, economic, trade and investment cooperation, and cultural and artistic exchanges between our two countries”. 

He noted that China and Bangladesh would also closely cooperate and coordinate on regional and multilateral affairs to inject more stability and certainty into this uncertain and unstable world.

“Let’s roll up our sleeves together and kick off to realise our respective dreams and embrace an even brighter future of China-Bangladesh relations”, appealed Ambassador Yao at the conclusion of his speech.

The guests felicitated Ambassador Yao for his appointment to the post. They highly commended the development of China in the new era and applauded the Strategic Partnership of Cooperation between Bangladesh and China. 

It is expected that, under the guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, China and Bangladesh will continue developing healthy and stable bilateral relations, promote China-Bangladesh practical cooperation to a new level, and jointly set an example of friendly relations among developing countries.

During the reception, artists from Kunming National Dance and Song Theater presented performances with an exotic genre.

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