bdnews24.com :
Bangladesh needs both China and India to take forward its aspirations for economic development , says Awami League General Secretary And Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam.
After seeing off Chinese President Xi Jinping at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, Syed Ashraf emphasised on the balance in Bangladesh’s foreign policy.
“We are working with China, but we are also working with India at the same time,” he said. “We have to keep good relations with everybody,because we cannot achieve anything on our own.” Bangladesh has supported and joined China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative during Xi’s visit, the first by a Chinese president to Bangladesh in three decades.
The two countries also decided to upgrade their relationship to ‘strategic partnership and cooperation.’
Anticipating Indian worries in the rundown to Xi’s visit, China’s government-backed ‘ Global Times’ had advised India not to be ‘jealous’ about Bangladesh’s growing relationship with China.
But Bangladesh’s leaders have made it clear they are not going to be drawn into any Sino-Indian rivalry in the region.
The Awami League government has taken bilateral relations with India to a new high, addressing Delhi’s security and connectivity concerns.
But it has also strengthened relations with China, primarily to finance its mega projects that are key to Bangladesh’s ever-expanding development aspirations.
“China is now a superpower,” said the senior Awami League leader. “We need to accept this. So far, our relation with China has been constructive. There is no need to worry.”
Syed Ashraf says he believes China, the world’s second largest economy, wants to help regional allies to grow alongside its own efforts to develop itself.
“We have worked closely with China for the past five to seven years. While the West makes many promises, they fulfil few of them. But China is quick to meet its obligations.”
The Cabinet member called President Xi’s visit a successful one.
“The amount of support pledged by the president is not important. What is important is getting China to support us,” he said. President Xi’s visit has led to the signing of 27 deals between Bangladesh and China, which amount to promises of $21.5 billion dollars of support. Among these agreements, 12 are about loans.
Asked whether tensions between Bangladesh and Myanmar would affect relations with China, Syed Ashraf said, “Bangladesh is not Myanmar.” “In the current geo-political situation we are far more important. No one can neglect the sub-continent. Why else would China want to pursue a diplomatic relationship?”
After Xi’s visit, Bangladesh and China announced they were glad to have developed a ‘strategic partnership’.
“Our partnership with China is not just about trade. It is economic, but it is also about political, cultural and security issues,” he said. “The most important aspect is our joint effort to maintain and promote peace in the region. This is our highest priority.” President Xi is the first Chinese leader to visit Bangladesh in the past three decades.
Bangladesh needs both China and India to take forward its aspirations for economic development , says Awami League General Secretary And Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam.
After seeing off Chinese President Xi Jinping at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, Syed Ashraf emphasised on the balance in Bangladesh’s foreign policy.
“We are working with China, but we are also working with India at the same time,” he said. “We have to keep good relations with everybody,because we cannot achieve anything on our own.” Bangladesh has supported and joined China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative during Xi’s visit, the first by a Chinese president to Bangladesh in three decades.
The two countries also decided to upgrade their relationship to ‘strategic partnership and cooperation.’
Anticipating Indian worries in the rundown to Xi’s visit, China’s government-backed ‘ Global Times’ had advised India not to be ‘jealous’ about Bangladesh’s growing relationship with China.
But Bangladesh’s leaders have made it clear they are not going to be drawn into any Sino-Indian rivalry in the region.
The Awami League government has taken bilateral relations with India to a new high, addressing Delhi’s security and connectivity concerns.
But it has also strengthened relations with China, primarily to finance its mega projects that are key to Bangladesh’s ever-expanding development aspirations.
“China is now a superpower,” said the senior Awami League leader. “We need to accept this. So far, our relation with China has been constructive. There is no need to worry.”
Syed Ashraf says he believes China, the world’s second largest economy, wants to help regional allies to grow alongside its own efforts to develop itself.
“We have worked closely with China for the past five to seven years. While the West makes many promises, they fulfil few of them. But China is quick to meet its obligations.”
The Cabinet member called President Xi’s visit a successful one.
“The amount of support pledged by the president is not important. What is important is getting China to support us,” he said. President Xi’s visit has led to the signing of 27 deals between Bangladesh and China, which amount to promises of $21.5 billion dollars of support. Among these agreements, 12 are about loans.
Asked whether tensions between Bangladesh and Myanmar would affect relations with China, Syed Ashraf said, “Bangladesh is not Myanmar.” “In the current geo-political situation we are far more important. No one can neglect the sub-continent. Why else would China want to pursue a diplomatic relationship?”
After Xi’s visit, Bangladesh and China announced they were glad to have developed a ‘strategic partnership’.
“Our partnership with China is not just about trade. It is economic, but it is also about political, cultural and security issues,” he said. “The most important aspect is our joint effort to maintain and promote peace in the region. This is our highest priority.” President Xi is the first Chinese leader to visit Bangladesh in the past three decades.
