Diplomatic Correspondent

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday said the rapid and sound development of China and his country’s relations with Bangladesh have played a positive role in shaping Bangladeshi friends’ understanding about the Asian giant.

"However, I should admit that there are still some misunderstandings on China-related issues, originating from cultural difference, cognitive bias or fake news," he said while speaking at a programme titled “National Image on China in Bangladesh” held in a city hotel.

The envoy said these will inevitably undermine the friendly base of China-Bangladesh relations and further hinder the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. The ambassador said there is no so-called “Chinese debt trap” and the government of Bangladesh knows this well.

According to the data published by the Ministry of Finance of Bangladesh, the country's debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is 38 per cent, as of June 2021, and external debt accounts for 37 per cent of the overall debt portfolio, said the envoy.

"Among others, debt to China accounts for only 7 percent of Bangladesh's external debt, as much as 2.58 per cent of the overall debt and 0.98 percent of GDP," he said.

Apparently, the envoy said, the data says by itself that Bangladesh's debt to China falls way below any fiscal threshold of a "debt trap".

In the meantime, China is not even the largest creditor of Bangladesh.

The envoy referred to Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen who said many times that "there’s no scope that Bangladesh will fall into the Chinese debt trap. We cut our coats according to our clothes.”

Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, Secretary (West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations; and Director, Centre for Genocide Studies, University of Dhaka, Ambassador Nasim Firdaus, President of Bangladesh Alliance for Women Leadership (BDAWL), Dr. Mahbubul Mokaddem (M. M. Akash), Professor & Chairman, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, former Chairman, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, also spoke at the event.

The envoy said what Professor Imtiaz briefed just now has vividly and powerfully shown that China and Bangladesh enjoy cordial and close bilateral relations, the relations strongly based on the friendship and bond between the two peoples.

“Particularly, I feel gratified and encouraged by the immensely positive responses and realizing the joint efforts by our two countries and two peoples have been proved to be effective,” he said.

Rohingya Issue

On the Rohingya issue, Ambassador Li said the key to the Rohingya issue is building confidence between the stakeholders, not the unilateral efforts from a certain country.

He said China has been working on Bangladesh and Myanmar to help to resolve the Rohingya issue through talks because both Bangladesh and Myanmar are China's friendly neighbors.

“Though the present domestic condition of Myanmar is still facing uncertainty, the communication between the two sides is not interrupted under the mediation of China and actually, the incumbent authority of Myanmar is showing a positive attitude to this issue,” said the Chinese envoy.

Thus, he said, the Chinese side hopes Bangladesh and Myanmar could work in the same direction so that the repatriation could start at an early date.