Mongla Port, Teesta River projects among China-Bangladesh priorities: Chinese envoy

Major infrastructure projects, including Mongla Port and the Teesta River project, remain among the priorities in China-Bangladesh cooperation, Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen said today (25 August).

Alongside these projects, the ambassador said education and people-to-people exchanges were also important areas of bilateral cooperation.

"I consider, apart from these big projects, like Mongla Port, Teesta River, and all the other infrastructure projects, education is also one of the high priorities or even top priorities in terms of Chinese-Bangladesh cooperation, especially related to people-to-people contact," he said as guest of honour at a validation workshop on the competency standard and Course Accreditation Document (CAD) for Chinese language, developed by the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA).

The Chinese envoy also highlighted the decision to introduce Chinese as one of the third-language options in Bangladesh's education curriculum.

"One of the most important results of the Honourable Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit is that he declared China will be one of the third languages to be included in the curriculum of Bangladesh education," Yao said.

Skilled Bangladeshi workers for global projects

Yao said Chinese language training should be combined with vocational and technical education to prepare Bangladeshi workers for employment opportunities as Chinese investment and economic engagement with Bangladesh continue to expand.

China wants Bangladesh to develop a pool of skilled workers proficient in Chinese who could work not only for Chinese companies in Bangladesh but also on projects implemented by Chinese firms around the world, he said.

"Our desire is, after their training in Bangladesh, they can also work in other countries, in other countries' projects conducted by Chinese companies," he said.

Yao said China had remained Bangladesh's largest trading partner for the past 16 years and had cumulatively created more than 250,000 jobs in Bangladesh.

"More than 400,000 people travel between China and Bangladesh each year, while more than 100,000 Bangladeshis are learning Chinese," he said.

The growing economic relationship has created strong demand for Bangladeshi professionals and workers with Chinese language skills, he added.

The ambassador welcomed the NSDA's initiative to develop a competency-based Chinese language curriculum, saying proficiency in Chinese could become an important tool for employment, trade, industrial cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

NSDA develops first competency-based Chinese curriculum

The NSDA said it had developed Bangladesh's first competency-based Chinese language competency standard and Course Accreditation Document with the participation of local and international experts.

The initiative aims to treat Chinese not merely as an academic subject but as a distinct occupational competency linked to employment and professional skills.

NSDA Executive Chairman (Secretary) Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury said the standard would establish "a structured pathway from competency standards to curriculum, assessment and certification".

Public Administration Adviser Md Ismail Zabihullah, the chief guest at the event, highlighted China's advances in high-quality development, innovation, robotics and artificial intelligence, saying Bangladesh should deepen cooperation with China "in areas of national interest".

He also said the Chinese language initiative should "move beyond the workshop" and be implemented in workplaces involving Chinese companies.