China has expressed concern as the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas sheltered in Cox's Bazar has not yet begun.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming voiced the worry during a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in Dhaka on Sunday, according to the Foreign Ministry.
At the meeting, Dr Momen sought Beijing's cooperation with respect to the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of persecuted Rohingyas to their homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.
If the repatriation process lingers, the Rohingyas will be a threat to this region, he told the envoy of China, the closest ally of Myanmar.
There are allegations that some Rohingyas are involved with drug trafficking, he added.
The foreign minister also said that eight Rohingyas were killed recently in clashes between their two groups.
Besides, this kind of incidents is increasing gradually due to the absence of barbed wires surrounding the Rohingya camps, he said.
Due to the delay of the repatriation process, the dissatisfaction among the local people regarding the Rohingyas and foreign aid agencies is growing, Dr Momen warned.
He also conveyed Bangladesh's concern over the military deployment by Myanmar along the border.
The foreign minister said that humanitarian assistance and improvement of the lives of Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar are not enough to solve this problem.
Instead, he said that a permanent solution is needed through their repatriation.
The Chinese ambassador concurred with the foreign minister in this regard.
Dr Momen assured Li that the killers of a Chinese national in Pirojpur will be brought to justice soon and that the government is very active in this regard.
Two individuals, including the offender, have already been arrested, he informed.
Dr Momen requested Beijing to renew the visas of Bangladeshi students studying in China who got stuck in the country due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Ambassador Li assured the minister that his government will soon take a decision on this.
He also informed that issuance of visas has resumed for the businesspeople and in cases of family reunions.
The book "Amar Dekha Nayachin" by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is being translated in Chinese language and will be published soon, he added.
The envoy also handed over a letter to the foreign minister from his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
In that letter, the Chinese foreign minister thanked Dr Momen for mentioning Hong Kong as China's internal affair.
Dr Momen reiterated Bangladesh's support for the "One China" policy.
