Staff Reporter :
China has claimed that they have no ‘personal interest’ in the Rohingya issue, rather they are making genuine efforts to help Bangladesh and Myanmar resolve the issue through friendly negotiations.
“China has no personal interest in that issue. We are working for Bangladesh and Myanmar. Our suggestion is genuine, objective and constructive,” Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Zhang Zuo told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.
To a query the Chinese ambassador said his country hopes next parliamentary election in Bangladesh will be smooth with participation by all political parties.
The newly appointed envoy said there is no quick fix to the problem as it is a complicated issue having historical, ethnical and religious background.
Ambassador Zuo laid emphasis on continuous friendly interactions on this issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar and finding solutions through bilateral discussion. “We will remain impartial to either side.”
He identified poverty as common enemy of the friendly countries and said, “We need to step up our regional cooperation (to eradicate poverty).”
The Chinese Ambassador, who arrived here in February, laid emphasis on promoting development to China-Bangladesh resolve the issue in Rakhine State.
On March 13, United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, urged the international community and influential countries to continue to act effectively and show moral leadership for the safe return of Rohingyas to their homeland.
“I sincerely hope China will play its role as one of the major powers in this region. It is very important. It is about humanity, it is about saving lives. We need to show moral leadership,” Adama told reporters during his Bangladesh visit.
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a document on January 16 on ‘Physical Arrangement’ to facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland from Bangladesh.
The ‘Physical Arrangement’ stipulates that the repatriation will be completed preferably within two years from the start of repatriation.
Myanmar has so far verified nearly 400 Rohingyas from the list of 8032 for possible repatriation from Bangladesh to their homeland in Rakhine state.
Ambassador Zuo acknowledged the progress made between Bangladesh and Myanmar on repatriation agreement.
He said they are urging Myanmar to attach greater importance to address the first repatriation list handed over by the Bangladesh side as soon as possible and receive and settle them at an early date.
Mentioning China’s contribution to Bangladesh and Mynamar, Ambassador Zuo said as the rainy season approaches, Rohingyas in Bangladesh are facing new challenges. “We are willing to do what we can to help them.”
Responding to a question, Ambassador Zuo said China has a close attention to the development and political situation in Bangladesh.
“We hope to see smooth general election in Bangladesh and we hope Bangladesh will have steady development,” he said.
The Ambassador said China respects the choice made by the Bangladeshi people and hopes that the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Bangladesh will move forward to new scale.
The Chinese Ambassador said he will do his best to help implement the important consensus on cooperation reached by the leaders from the two countries, and to promote the development of Bangladesh-China strategic partnership in a better way.
Since the beginning of 2018, he said, China and Bangladesh have been maintaining frequent high-level exchanges.
This year, the envoy said, Bangladesh and China will hold the 12th diplomatic consultation, the second Bangladesh-China dialogue on maritime cooperation, joint working group meeting on China-Bangladesh free trade agreement and the first round of consular consultation, among many other important bilateral events.
Deputy Head of Mission at the Chinese Embassy Chen Wei and other senior officials were present at the briefing held at the Embassy.
Zuo replaced Ma Mingqiang, who completed his tenure in Bangladesh and already left the country for his new assignment.
Zuo was born in February 1969 in Xuanwei County of Yunnan Province. He has a PhD in Management, according to the official website of the Chinese embassy.
Diplomatic sources said the newly-appointed Chinese ambassador (designated) to Bangladesh arrived in Dhaka on February 12 and presented copy of this credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 14.
Ambassador Ma left Dhaka in December late to attend envoys conference in Beijing but he did not return to Dhaka for his farewell meetings with the president, prime minister, foreign minister and others.
