‘People of Bangladesh will determine their future’: Chinese envoy

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has said the people of Bangladesh will determine their future and his country will continue to follow the policy of non-interference in the internal politics of other countries.

“The future of Bangladesh shall be and only be determined by the people of Bangladesh. China is full of confidence about a better future of Bangladesh as well as China-Bangladesh relations,” he told reporters while visiting the media outlets of East West Media Group Ltd (EWMGL) at Bashundhara Residential Area in the capital on Sunday.

The Chinese ambassador said the upcoming election is an internal affair of Bangladesh and his country opposes any force interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

Wen said Bangladesh as a least developed country has been enjoying duty-free access for 98% of export items to the Chinese market since 2021.

“Since Bangladesh is expected to become the world’s ninth-largest market by 2030, trade between the two sides presents significant and profitable prospects. China and Bangladesh are actively promoting the negotiation of a free trade agreement (FTA). It is expected that the feasibility study will be completed and the negotiation will be formally launched soon,” he said.

The ambassador said being Bangladesh’s single largest trade partner for 12 consecutive years, China attaches great importance to narrowing the bilateral trade gap.

“The embassy is working hard to facilitate the imports of Bangladesh’s high-quality products, such as mango. In the meantime, the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Chattogram will attract more Chinese investment in high-class industries, such as ICT, renewable energy, electric vehicles, food processing, etc., which would upgrade the level and quality of Bangladesh’s export products,” he said.

Talking about Chinese contributions to implementing infrastructural projects in Bangladesh, Wen said, “China has built 12 roads, 21 bridges, and 27 power and energy projects in Bangladesh. The Chinese companies operating in Bangladesh have created more than 5,50,000 job opportunities for local people.”

According to him, cooperation between China and Bangladesh under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has also entered a mature state.

Terming Bangladesh the first South Asian country to join the BRI, he said the initiative had taken root and blossomed in the Bay of Bengal over the past seven years.

The Chinese envoy said since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic state visit to Bangladesh in 2016 and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s successful visit to China three years later, bilateral relations between the two countries have grown rapidly and set a model for such relations between developing countries based on an equal footing, mutual respect, and amicable cooperation for the improvement of people’s well-being.

Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam, Kaler Kantho Editor-in-Chief Imdadul Haq Milan, Kaler Kantho Editor Shahed Muhammad Ali, Daily Sun Editor Rezaul Karim Lotus, Banglanews24.com Editor Jewel Mazhar, News 24 TV Executive Editor Rahul Raha, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese embassy Song Yang, Press Secretary Jing Chen, Xinhua Bureau Chief Sun Nan, and Lin Yuyang of the embassy’s political section were present during the visit of the Chinese envoy, among others.