UNB, Dhaka :
Charge d’ Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka QU Guangzhou on Saturday said Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Bangladesh, once established, will attract huge Chinese investment opening up a new vista in bilateral cooperation and regional collaboration.
“I hope the Zone will take shape as soon as possible and attract huge Chinese investment,” he said while addressing a seminar in the city.
The Chinese diplomat said Bangladesh and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Establishment of the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to China.
He mentioned that China has invited Asian countries to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and most of them have indicated their readiness to join.
“Here, I’ve to share another good news that just two days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced, during his historic visit to India, that China will provide $30 billion investment and $20 billion concessional loans to the South Asian countries in the next five years,” he said.
Guangzhou mentioned that this will bring a new vigour and vitality into the development of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC).
He said the future economic corridor could enable the four countries to take each other’s advantages, accelerate economic growth, and open wider to the outside world.
“Given the outstanding significance of the BCIM-EC for the four countries, it deserves our all-out efforts to make it happen,” said the diplomat adding that China and India are two largest emerging economies, and Bangladesh and Myanmar boast rich human and natural resources.
Centre for East Asia (Foundation) arranged the seminar titled ‘BCIM-EC and Maritime Silk Route Across the Bay’ at Lakeshore Hotel in the city with Prof Dr Sukamal Barua in the chair.
Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka U Myo Myint Than and Executive Director of the Centre for East Asia Nasim Mahmmud also spoke on the occasion.
Dhaka University Development Studies Prof Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir and Senior Research Fellow of Bnagladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) Dr M Jashim Uddin presented two separate papers at the seminar.
