China not involved in humanitarian corridor issue, willing to help Bangladesh on Teesta dev project: Ambassador

China is ready to help Bangladesh on Teesta River development project, said Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen today (8 May).

"We are ready, we are willing to offer our help, but now it is up to Bangladesh to make your decision whether you want to move forward," Yao Wen said.

Speaking at a public lecture titled "Five Decades of Bangladesh-China Relations: Towards a New Height" organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium in the capital, he also said China is not involved in the so-called humanitarian corridor issue in Rakhine state.

While talking about the Teesta project, Yao Wen added, "I would say it's truly Bangladesh's decision how to proceed with this project. China will respect the decision made by Bangladesh, but I wish this project can be started as soon as possible."

Referring to recent reports on a so-called "humanitarian corridor" in the Rakhine region, Ambassador Yao said, "China is not involved with the so-called humanitarian corridor issue in Rakhine state."

"I am yet to get some clarification either by the foreign adviser or the national security adviser. But if you ask for a comment, my comment is China always stands for the sovereignty and territoriality of any country," the ambassador added.

Addressing key concerns related to China's role in regional developments, especially the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the Chinese ambassador further said, "As far as my understanding, the humanitarian corridor issue was initiated by the United Nations to provide humanitarian supplies to the vacated Rakhine state, to those affected by the conflict."

When asked about a reported proposal by Jamaat-e-Islami regarding an independent Rakhine state, the ambassador responded, "I have no idea. As for the political dialogue, a nice proposal of a so-called independent state inside Rakhine state — I have no idea about that. But you also may have noticed there is some clarification by Jamaat-e-Islami after the report was published, they also denied the statement."

BIISS Director General Major General Md Iftekhar Anis delivered the welcome remarks, while BIISS Chairman AFM Gousal Azam Sarker chaired the session.

The keynote presentation was delivered by Imtiaz Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Alternatives, Bangladesh.

The event highlighted the strategic partnership between Bangladesh and China, reflecting on 50 years of diplomatic relations and exploring potential avenues for deeper cooperation in the future.