Diplomatic Correspondent

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has said China is the most reliable development partner and a true friend of Bangladesh and it is a conclusion widely endorsed by all walks of life across the country.

"The attempts to interfere with China-Bangladesh cooperation will be echoed by no one but to no avail," he said while speaking as at reunion of Bangladeshi participants attending 2023 Chinese government training programs at the Embassy on Tuesday night.

Md. Anwar Hossain, Additional Secretary, Wing Chief of ERD, Ministry of Finance, Dr. Md Alam Mostafa, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Commerce, among others were present.

However, the Ambassador said, alongside the steady progress of Bangladesh-China relations, some disturbing noises emerge once in a while.

He said Bangladesh-China cooperation finds its root deep in the long-established friendship between the two peoples.

The envoy said it would have been impossible without the political guidance of the respective leaderships.

"The precious achievement is jointly made by contributors from various sectors and positions like you, thus should be cherished by heart and maintained with care," he said.

Ambassador Yao said the "so-called China trap is sheer fabrication" but rather those projects bring about China benefit.

"China dividend and China opportunities to the people of Bangladesh. By nothing but actions will we showcase to the world what true friends and best partners really mean," he said.

On the just concluded Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping announced eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, among which supporting people-to-people exchanges is a primary one.

"In the coming year, China will provide more bilateral training programs, benefiting a even greater number of Bangladeshi participants," said Ambassador Yao.

Right now, there have been 50 flights flying between China and Bangladesh every week, and nearly 10 thousand people commute to and from our two countries on weekly basis.

"Here, I have another good news to share with you. More direct flights from Dhaka to Beijing will be opened very soon, so as to provide more diverse flight options and making people-to-people exchanges even more convenient," said the Ambassador.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has commended that BRI opened a new door of development for Bangladesh, he said.

"I firmly believe that this door not only carries mega projects to drive economic development, but also nurtures people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning between the two countries," said the Ambassador.

He said China is committed to ensure those training programs are well-implemented and built into an important platform for bilateral exchanges, thereby bringing the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to a new level.

The Ambassador said Bangladesh is not only traditionally friendly neighbors but also strategic partners.

"In recent years, the exchanges between the two countries have been increasingly close, and economic and trade cooperation has yielded fruitful results, setting an example of win-win cooperation among developing countries," he said.

China has maintained Bangladesh's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, he mentioned.

"China is also a major source of foreign investment for Bangladesh, with an investment stock of 3.17 billion US dollars and more diversified investment sectors being explored," said the envoy.

Currently, there are around 700 Chinese companies registered in Bangladesh, they have constructed 7 railways, 12 roads, 21 bridges, and 31 power plants, providing 550,000 job opportunities.

The Chinese government's training programs to Bangladesh have sent approximately 5500 Bangladeshi officials, technical experts, young scholars, and media representatives to receive training in China, and all the seminars have received unanimous acclaim.

2023 is a year for further deepening the strategic partnership between China and Bangladesh, said the envoy.

In August, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held their first face-to-face meeting over last four years on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, injecting vibrant political momentum into the development of bilateral relations.