UNB, Dhaka :
China has placed five specific suggestions for deepening the Bangladesh-China strategic partnership of cooperation in the new era with an emphasis on deepening “strategic mutual trust”, saying the next decade will see “faster changes” in the international alignment of forces.
“First, we need to deepen strategic mutual trust and then we need to deepen economic integration,” said Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo while sharing his thoughts at Cosmos Dialogue on Saturday looking into the future of the relations that brings “unprecedented opportunities” for cooperation.
Three other suggestions, put forward by the Chinese Ambassador, are to deepen innovation and interaction; have stronger cooperation on experience sharing on security; and deepen cultural and people’s connectivity.
“We should join hands to become good partners with equality and mutual trust. We should work together to improve the level of global governance,” he said.
Ambassador Zuo was addressing as the chief guest at the dialogue titled ‘Bangladesh-China Relations: Prognosis for the Future’ at Six Seasons Hotel in the city. Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bangladeshi conglomerate Cosmos Group, hosted the symposium.
Experts both from Bangladesh and China attended the symposium and assessed the Bangladesh-China relationship in the present context and identified the challenges and opportunities.
Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan delivered the welcome speech while Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and a former Adviser to Bangladesh’s previous caretaker government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury chaired the session.
Enayetullah Khan termed the relationship between Bangladesh and China as “all-weather and time-tested friendship.”
“I see a happy future in the relationship between Bangladesh and China; and my prognosis is that our mutual trust, especially political trust; and friendship will help us march together towards the fruition of our common goals and aspirations,” he said adding that they are witnessing a most remarkable feature of current international politics which is the rise of China.
The symposium was part of the Cosmos Foundation’s ‘Dialogue’ series, in which a high-level expert panel was tasked with tackling a particularly pressing issue of the day, followed by the participation of an informed and engaging audience.
The panel comprised of Prof Li Tao, Executive Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at Sichuan University in China; Yuan Jirong, Chief Journalist at the India Bureau of the People’s Daily; historian and media personality Afsan Chowdhury; and Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor at the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University.
UNB Chairman Amanullah Khan and Director Masud Khan were, among others, present.
Bangladesh Polls
Chinese Ambassador Zuo hoped that the next national election in Bangladesh, scheduled for December 30, will go very “well and smooth” saying that China will deepen its ties with Bangladesh on all fronts.
“We hope, you’ll have a very smooth election. Bangladeshis and political parties can have that (well and smooth polls),” he told reporters after attending Cosmos Dialogue on Bangladesh-China relations in the city. The Chinese Ambassador said the two countries will further deepen political, economic and people-to-people relationship.
Ambassador Zuo said China will continue to play a constructive role in properly solving the problem of Rakhine State in accordance with the three-phase solution to stopping violence, repatriation and development.
He said China will continue to support Bangladesh and Myanmar to find a proper way for the repatriation of the displaced people, as well as a proper solution to the issue of Rakhine State through dialogue and consultation.
The Chinese Ambassador encouraged all to respect the social systems and development paths chosen independently by every nation, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and take the new road of dialogue without confrontation, partnership instead of alliances.
“We need to make the full use of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to explore the possibility of China-Bangladesh plus cooperation, enhance South-South cooperation, and strengthen collaborations within the multilateral framework of the UN Security Council,” he said.
Ambassador Zuo laid emphasis on enhancing the political position of China-Bangladesh relations, and strengthening exchanges in governance, development concepts, and social culture to deepen bilateral cooperation.
China has placed five specific suggestions for deepening the Bangladesh-China strategic partnership of cooperation in the new era with an emphasis on deepening “strategic mutual trust”, saying the next decade will see “faster changes” in the international alignment of forces.
“First, we need to deepen strategic mutual trust and then we need to deepen economic integration,” said Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo while sharing his thoughts at Cosmos Dialogue on Saturday looking into the future of the relations that brings “unprecedented opportunities” for cooperation.
Three other suggestions, put forward by the Chinese Ambassador, are to deepen innovation and interaction; have stronger cooperation on experience sharing on security; and deepen cultural and people’s connectivity.
“We should join hands to become good partners with equality and mutual trust. We should work together to improve the level of global governance,” he said.
Ambassador Zuo was addressing as the chief guest at the dialogue titled ‘Bangladesh-China Relations: Prognosis for the Future’ at Six Seasons Hotel in the city. Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bangladeshi conglomerate Cosmos Group, hosted the symposium.
Experts both from Bangladesh and China attended the symposium and assessed the Bangladesh-China relationship in the present context and identified the challenges and opportunities.
Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan delivered the welcome speech while Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and a former Adviser to Bangladesh’s previous caretaker government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury chaired the session.
Enayetullah Khan termed the relationship between Bangladesh and China as “all-weather and time-tested friendship.”
“I see a happy future in the relationship between Bangladesh and China; and my prognosis is that our mutual trust, especially political trust; and friendship will help us march together towards the fruition of our common goals and aspirations,” he said adding that they are witnessing a most remarkable feature of current international politics which is the rise of China.
The symposium was part of the Cosmos Foundation’s ‘Dialogue’ series, in which a high-level expert panel was tasked with tackling a particularly pressing issue of the day, followed by the participation of an informed and engaging audience.
The panel comprised of Prof Li Tao, Executive Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at Sichuan University in China; Yuan Jirong, Chief Journalist at the India Bureau of the People’s Daily; historian and media personality Afsan Chowdhury; and Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor at the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University.
UNB Chairman Amanullah Khan and Director Masud Khan were, among others, present.
Bangladesh Polls
Chinese Ambassador Zuo hoped that the next national election in Bangladesh, scheduled for December 30, will go very “well and smooth” saying that China will deepen its ties with Bangladesh on all fronts.
“We hope, you’ll have a very smooth election. Bangladeshis and political parties can have that (well and smooth polls),” he told reporters after attending Cosmos Dialogue on Bangladesh-China relations in the city. The Chinese Ambassador said the two countries will further deepen political, economic and people-to-people relationship.
Ambassador Zuo said China will continue to play a constructive role in properly solving the problem of Rakhine State in accordance with the three-phase solution to stopping violence, repatriation and development.
He said China will continue to support Bangladesh and Myanmar to find a proper way for the repatriation of the displaced people, as well as a proper solution to the issue of Rakhine State through dialogue and consultation.
The Chinese Ambassador encouraged all to respect the social systems and development paths chosen independently by every nation, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and take the new road of dialogue without confrontation, partnership instead of alliances.
“We need to make the full use of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to explore the possibility of China-Bangladesh plus cooperation, enhance South-South cooperation, and strengthen collaborations within the multilateral framework of the UN Security Council,” he said.
Ambassador Zuo laid emphasis on enhancing the political position of China-Bangladesh relations, and strengthening exchanges in governance, development concepts, and social culture to deepen bilateral cooperation.
