Bangladesh and China are likely to sign multiple memorandums of understanding and agreements during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi beginning tomorrow.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday said the planned MoUs and agreements would be aligned with Bangladesh’s cultural, social and economic policies.
Branding the ties between Bangladesh and China as “deep and wide”, he added that the two countries would discuss areas of future cooperation during the two-day visit of the Chinese minister and state councillor, amid growing tension over the Taiwan Straits and the Ukraine crisis.
Shahriar Alam said the Chinese foreign minister, scheduled to arrive at 11am tomorrow, would meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning, UNB reported.
Later, Wang Yi will meet with his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues.
Dr Momen is expected to return home tomorrow night after attending the Asean Regional Forum meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will host a dinner in honour of the Chinese minister tomorrow evening.
At the press conference on Thursday, Shahriar Alam said the list of deals had not been finalized yet and that there could be five to seven new ones and renewals, including cooperation on disaster management and on the cultural exchange front.
Responding to a question, he said Bangladesh would seek a stronger role to be played by the Chinese government in an early repatriation of the Rohingyas.
Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees. There is a tripartite mechanism – Bangladesh, Myanmar and China – to discuss and resolve the crisis.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said taking a new loan from China would not be part of the agenda during the Chinese foreign minister's Bangladesh visit.
"This time, the issue of taking a loan afresh isn't there at least," he said on Wednesday.
In January 2017, Wang Yi had an hour-long stopover in Dhaka, and on July 15, 2021, Wang Yi and Momen had discussions in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Tension over Taiwan
Dhaka on Thursday reiterated its firm adherence to the “one-China principle”, amid tensions generated by the visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taiwan. The visit has amplified the long-standing tension in the region.
In a Facebook post on its official page, the ministry said: “Bangladesh is closely following the developments in Taiwan Strait and urges all parties concerned to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from any actions that may aggravate tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
The ministry called on all parties involved to resolve their differences in line with the UN Charter and through dialogue.
Earlier in the day, Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming asked Bangladesh to abide by the “ One China principle” and support China’s position on Taiwan.
Referring to the friendship between Dhaka and Beijing, Li Jiming said: “China highly appreciates Bangladesh’s longstanding commitment to the One China principle and resolute opposition to Taiwan Independence.”
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Chinese government is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, said the statement.
During his meeting with Wang Yi in 2021, Dr Momen noted that Bangladesh had always adhered to the One China principle and firmly supported China on issues related to China's internal affairs, such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet.