Chinese business delegation to visit Bangladesh soon: Foreign secretary

A big business delegation from China will  be visiting Bangladesh soon that manifests strong economic ties between the two countries, Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin has said.

The 100-member Chinese business delegation will be led by the commerce minister of China.

Expressing satisfaction at the ease of visa, Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin underlined that the affordable airfare on Dhaka-Kunming flights would further encourage Bangladeshi patients to receive treatment in China.

Bangladesh thanked the government of China for offering special medical treatment facilities for Bangladeshi patients in Kunming.

Bangladesh also requested the Chinese government to increase scholarships to Bangladeshi students by Chinese Universities.

The issues were discussed when Director General of the Bureau of Southeast and South Asian Affairs, International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), Peng Xiubin met the foreign secretary at his office this week.

Rohingya issue was also discussed at the meeting, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The foreign secretary reiterated Bangladesh's firm support to one-China principle and expressed satisfaction on the successful visits of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain to China and having fruitful interactions with their counterparts, which have enhanced cooperation in a number of areas including trade, investment, health and educational sectors.

The director general appreciated the warm and friendly attitude of the people of Bangladesh towards China and said that China and the Communist Party of China will be with the people of Bangladesh to fulfill their dreams and expectations in pursuit of economic development and growth.

Referring to the recent successful visit of the chief adviser to China and having fruitful discussion with President Xi Jinping, the director general said that Bangladesh is an important partner and trusted friend. 

He said that China will work to strengthen bilateral trade, continue to support the infrastructural development and enhance cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Peng Xiubin reiterated China's strong support to Bangladesh as a close-door neighbor and development partner as part of its neighborhood diplomacy.

He added that the contact between the political parties of two countries is an important pillar of Bangladesh-China relationship and the CPC looks forward to expanding these exchanges to think tanks and academia.

The foreign secretary thanked the Chinese government for its continued support in this regard and thanked the director general of IDCPC for visiting Bangladesh.