bdnews24.com :
China has shown interest to sign an MoU on blue economy with Bangladesh, days after Dhaka University signed such a deal with an Indian organisation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
A senior official at the foreign ministry privy to the matter told bdnews24.com that they had approached China for similar arrangements long before.
“But they were not responding. We received an MoU document (from China) on Wednesday,” said the
official, who declined to be named for the story. Last Saturday, Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the University of Dhaka, and India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for joint research on oceanography of the Bay of Bengal. Both Dhaka and New Delhi in a joint declaration said the visit gave a “new direction for the new generation” on Indo-Bangla relations.
Many international media, however, viewed the visit as Modi’s effort to lessen China’s presence in Bangladesh.
China has made its presence strongly felt in the region with its massive funding in infrastructure projects including ports in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
This has worried India, as analysts say, China is creating a so-called “string of pearls” across the Indian Ocean.
Bangladesh has begun to pursue blue economy as a foreign policy ‘priority’ soon after it settled peacefully maritime disputes with India and Myanmar. Dhaka now regards the Bay of Bengal as its “third neighbour”, considering the richness of its marine resources. But it lacks skills and manpower to extract those resources. “That’s why we always look for partnership,” said the senior official. The European Union earlier showed interest to work with Bangladesh in this area. But the MoU signing with an Indian research institute was first of its kind.
There has been a separate point at the joint declaration issued at the end of Modi’s visit on Jun 7. The two leaders greeted each other for “amicable settlement” of the maritime boundary between the countries, and said it had opened up vast economic opportunities. To harness that, they agreed to work closely on the development of ‘ocean-based blue economy and maritime cooperation’ in the Bay of Bengal and chart out the ways for future cooperation. Modi in his speech said the agreement on blue economy “opens a new area of economic opportunities”.
China has shown interest to sign an MoU on blue economy with Bangladesh, days after Dhaka University signed such a deal with an Indian organisation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
A senior official at the foreign ministry privy to the matter told bdnews24.com that they had approached China for similar arrangements long before.
“But they were not responding. We received an MoU document (from China) on Wednesday,” said the
official, who declined to be named for the story. Last Saturday, Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the University of Dhaka, and India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for joint research on oceanography of the Bay of Bengal. Both Dhaka and New Delhi in a joint declaration said the visit gave a “new direction for the new generation” on Indo-Bangla relations.
Many international media, however, viewed the visit as Modi’s effort to lessen China’s presence in Bangladesh.
China has made its presence strongly felt in the region with its massive funding in infrastructure projects including ports in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
This has worried India, as analysts say, China is creating a so-called “string of pearls” across the Indian Ocean.
Bangladesh has begun to pursue blue economy as a foreign policy ‘priority’ soon after it settled peacefully maritime disputes with India and Myanmar. Dhaka now regards the Bay of Bengal as its “third neighbour”, considering the richness of its marine resources. But it lacks skills and manpower to extract those resources. “That’s why we always look for partnership,” said the senior official. The European Union earlier showed interest to work with Bangladesh in this area. But the MoU signing with an Indian research institute was first of its kind.
There has been a separate point at the joint declaration issued at the end of Modi’s visit on Jun 7. The two leaders greeted each other for “amicable settlement” of the maritime boundary between the countries, and said it had opened up vast economic opportunities. To harness that, they agreed to work closely on the development of ‘ocean-based blue economy and maritime cooperation’ in the Bay of Bengal and chart out the ways for future cooperation. Modi in his speech said the agreement on blue economy “opens a new area of economic opportunities”.
