Foreign-Affairs
Bangladesh reiterates its firm adherence to ‘One China’ policy
Bangladesh has reiterated her firm adherence to ‘One China’ policy and urged the parties concerned to resolve their differences in accordance with the UN Charter and through dialogue.
“We hope it will not further aggravate…the world can’t afford to have another crisis,” said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam on Thursday, adding that the world is going through enough crises.
Bangladesh has urged 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.
Bangladesh is closely following the developments in the Taiwan Strait, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read: Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, China’s blockade and what next?
Beijing welcomes Dhaka's one-China principle
China highly appreciates Bangladesh’s longstanding commitment to the one-China principle and resolute opposition to “Taiwan Independence”, the country's envoy in Dhaka said on Thursday
"We believe that the government and people of Bangladesh will continue to abide by the one-China principle, understand and support China’s legitimate and justified position on Taiwan question," Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming said.
In a statement regarding US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, he said China and Bangladesh are good neighbours, trustworthy friends and reliable partners.
The two countries have always understood and supported each other on issues of core interests concerning respective sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, said the envoy.
Read:No discussion on new loan during Chinese FM's visit: FS
On August 2, Ambassador Li said, in disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region.
"This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués," he said.
It infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, sends a wrong signal to the separatist forces for “Taiwan independence”, and has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations.
"China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this," said the ambassador.
There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, said Li.
"Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan Region not only gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but also creates tension and conflicts in the region, bringing more uncertainties to the already troubled world," said the Chinese envoy.
'Pakistan leadership can learn many lessons from Bangladesh'
Bangladesh has experienced significant economic transformation over the years, which can be attributed to its leadership, reads an article published in The Express Tribune.
Pakistan’s leadership can learn many lessons from Bangladesh’s experience, but the main takeaway should be that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina prioritised economic growth, which is crucial for both defence and democracy, reads the article.
Sahibzada Riaz Noor in his article mentioned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Padma Bridge recently and declared it a ‘symbol of pride and capacity’.
As early as 1992, Sheikh Hasina was involved in the economic issues and plans for Bangladesh, according to the article titled "Takeaways from Bangladesh’s leadership." She undertook the task of balancing economic policies with political implications.
Sheikh Hasina learnt from other Asian countries whose economic success was based upon four pillars: political stability, social development, trade liberalisation with export-led growth and fiscal restraint, reads the article.
During a conference, when an economist began informing her about the benefits of trade liberalisation, Sheikh Hasina quipped, “you don’t have to convince me about trade liberalisation. When I was living with my physicist husband in the Italian city of Trieste on the Yugoslavian border, I watched the border being opened three times a week and people travelling across from both sides, purchasing goods and return.”
Read: Dhaka, Washington to follow up issues discussed over past few months
This demonstrates that Sheikh Hasina was assiduously focused on economics rather than other considerations that politicians are attracted to, Riaz Noor mentioned in his article.
Even though between 1971 to 2009, Bangladesh had hiccups in accountability campaigns and military rule, since 2009, the army has taken the back seat, he said. Bangladesh has seen less frequent derailment of civilian governments and experienced little legitimisation and delegitimization of governments.
Despite having little experience in governance, the Prime Minister possessed visionary acuity and conviction that economic progress was the only way to alleviate poverty in the country, reads the article.
Bangladesh has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and back in 1970, the country was 75% poorer compared to Pakistan but now it is 45% richer, the article reads.
In 1970, it had 10 million more mouths to feed but now its population is 170 million compared to Pakistan’s 230 million, according to the article.
In 2021, Bangladesh’s exports were $47 billion while Pakistan’s exports were $28 billion. The income per capita in Bangladesh is $2,227 compared to Pakistan’s $1,543.
In 2022, its gross domestic product (GDP) is $411 billion compared to the $347 billion in Pakistan.
The annual inflation rate is 6% compared to Pakistan’s previous 12-15%, which has now risen to 21% and is expected to further increase.
Also, the Bangladeshi taka is much stronger compared to the Pakistani rupee, reads the article.
Importantly, Bangladesh has a strong literacy rate with high female participation in the economy, it reads.
In Pakistan, political parties have remained interested in personal gains, according to the article.
The repeated manipulation of the democratic process has stymied the growth of strong, democratic, and non-dynastic parties, it reads.
It is worth recognising that economic growth is closely tied with political stability, rule of law, strong civilian institutions, and participatory democracy, the article reads.
No discussion on new loan during Chinese FM's visit: FS
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said taking a new loan from China will not be a part of their agenda during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's upcoming Bangladesh visit.
"This time, the issue of taking loan afresh isn't there at least," he said on Wednesday when a reporter wanted to know whether Bangladesh is going to take a loan from China again.
Asked what message this visit carries amid the crisis in various parts of the world, the foreign secretary said it will be known once the Chinese foreign minister comes. "We are working on the visit. Things are yet to be finalised."
He reiterated that the visit is part of the Chinese side's routine visit to the region and also it is an opportunity to review the existing engagements between the two countries.
"It can't be said (there's) urgency (from the Chinese side). Since he will be visiting this region, he expressed the desire to come here if we can give him time. We are looking into the timings," he said earlier when a reporter wanted to know why there was so much urgency from the Chinese side.
Read: 12th bi-annual CSO meeting: Foreign secretary highlights implementation of IORDA-DDI
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said time, arrival and departure have not been confirmed yet.
The state minister said he does not want to shed any doubt but there is nothing to say in detail about the visit yet. "You will get to know," said, adding that things will be cleared within the next 48 hours.
Shahriar also suggested not bringing any third country into a bilateral context and discussion.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is expected to return home on August 6 evening after attending the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting during August 5-6 in Cambodia.
In January 2017, Wang Yi had an hour-long stopover in Dhaka. "This time, he will be coming for a longer period," said the foreign secretary.
The Chinese foreign minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning apart from a bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Momen to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming met Momen recently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed various issues of mutual interest, including the proposed visit of the Chinese foreign minister.
Dhaka, Washington to follow up issues discussed over past few months
Bangladesh and the United States will “further follow up” the discussions that the two countries had over the last few months as US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele J. Sison will visit Dhaka soon.
Dhaka’s demand for withdrawal of sanctions on elite force Rab and the Rohingya issue are also expected to be discussed during the visit.
“We have multi-faceted relationship with the United States,” said foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen on Wednesday, adding that many issues can be discussed.
He said they are known to each other and will be able to have “free and frank” discussion on many issues.
The US assistant secretary is currently visiting India as part of her tri-nation visit (India, Bangladesh and Kuwait) from August 2-10.
MoU signed for movement of Indian POL, LPG carrying vehicles through Bangladesh
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for movement of Indian Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) or LPG carrying vehicles through territory of Bangladesh.
The heavy monsoons this year damaged road infrastructure in North East India, causing disruption in supplies of Petroleum products through Assam.
This necessitated an urgent alternate route to continue supply of petroleum goods to the Indian North Eastern States Tripura, South Assam and Mizoram.
The MoU facilitates movement of petroleum goods, including motor spirit, high-speed diesel, superior kerosene oil, and liquefied petroleum gas, using an alternate route via the territory of Bangladesh.
This movement of petroleum or LPG road tankers through Bangladesh is temporary, only for a short period of a few months, to help address the immediate need for an alternative supply route.
The validity of the MoU is till November 2022, according to Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
The MoU stipulates certain administrative fees, charges, local tolls, and other expenses including a cost of Tk 1.85 per ton per km for road usage which will be borne by IOCL.
The route used will be Dawki (Meghalaya) – Tamabil (Bangladesh) – Sylhet – Fenchuganj (using Sylhet bypass) – Rajnagar – Moulvibazar/Brahmanbazar- Shameshernagar – Chatlapur (Bangladesh) – Kailasshar (Tripura).
The petroleum or LPG road tankers will enter and exit in a sealed condition from Dawki – Tamabil and Chatlapur – Kailasshar respectively.
The tankers will traverse approximately 140 km in Bangladesh.
A similar MoU was signed in 2016 which allowed for supply of petroleum products from Assam to Tripura via Bangladesh, for similar reasons, for a short period of time.
Read:India for implementing MoU with Bangladesh in disaster management
Pak FM makes brief stopover at Ctg airport
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made a brief stopover at Chattogram airport on Wednesday.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud received the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said in a Facebook post.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister made the stopover on his way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to lead the Pakistan delegation at the 29th Ministerial Meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) being held from August 4 till August 6.
Read: PM Hasina greets Shehbaz Sharif
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen is in Cambodia to attend the meeting.
The two Ministers during the meeting also exchanged books of each other’s country as gifts.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister stayed for around 40 minutes at the airport, the Facebook post reads.
Record number of Bangladeshi workers likely to go to S Korea this year: Embassy
The number of Bangladeshi workers in South Korea, recruited under the Employment Permit System (EPS), is likely to be over 3,600 this year, according to the Dhaka EPS Center.
A total of 2,594 Bangladeshi workers have already been recruited by South Korea between January and July 2022.
The government of the Republic of Korea plans to allocate over 1,000 additional quotas to Bangladesh this year to meet the increasing demand by Korean employers, said the Korean Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday.
If things go well it will be the highest number since the start of Korea’s EPS programme with Bangladesh in 2008. It was in 2010 that the highest number of Bangladesh EPS workers, 2,691, went to Korea.
The South Korean government has been recruiting unskilled foreign workers from 16 selected countries including Bangladesh through the programme called EPS.
With a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two governments, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) has been sending Bangladesh expatriate workers to Korea since 2008.
Read: UN chief lauds Bangladesh’s socio-economic development
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, however, the South Korean government suspended admitting foreign EPS workers from March 2020 until November 2021.
With the improvement of the COVID-19 situation both in Korea and Bangladesh, the Korean government resumed taking the foreign workers in December 2021 under the strict application of quarantine measures before their departure from Bangladesh and after arrival in Korea.
Chartered direct flights between Korea and Bangladesh which initially started to carry Korean nationals during the pandemic situation have been used by Bangladesh expatriate workers going to Korea.
Since April 2022, the chartered direct flight had carried over 100 Bangladesh workers every week.
South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said Bangladeshi expatriate workers have been a central pillar of Korea-Bangladesh friendship and will continue to play an essential role in strengthening bilateral ties in the future.
Recognizing the BOESL’s contribution to the Korea-Bangladesh people-to-people exchange by equipping EPS workers to become suitable for their employment in Korea, Ambassador Lee also mentioned that the Embassy and the EPS Dhaka Center will work closely with BOESL not only to increase the number of workers and diversify the areas of their employment but also to prepare more qualified workers.
UN chief lauds Bangladesh’s socio-economic development
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has termed Bangladesh a friend of the UN and lauded Bangladesh’s socio-economic development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He said Bangladesh is a valued member of the UN and is making an important contribution to the work of the global body.
The UN chief made the remarks when Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Muhammad Abdul Muhith presented his credentials to the UN chief in the UN headquarters on Tuesday.
Read: Khalid Mahmud welcomes US support for inland waterways management
Prior to this on Thursday, 28th of July he joined the Mission.
Abdul Muhith is the 16th Permanent Representative (PR) of Bangladesh to the UN since 1974 when Bangladesh became the member of the apex body under the leadership of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Ambassador Muhith was Bangladesh Ambassador to Austria prior to this appointment.
MPs urge ASEAN to put strong pressure on Myanmar
As the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Phnom Penh this week, they should take the opportunity to reach an agreement on strong and coordinated measures to put pressure on Myanmar’s military junta, parliamentarians from the region have urged.
Over fifteen months after ASEAN members and the chief of the military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, signed a Five-Point Consensus to address the political and humanitarian crisis triggered by the illegal coup d’état on 1 February 2021, the situation in Myanmar has continued to deteriorate.
The self-styled State Administration Council (SAC) is still hijacking humanitarian assistance, has not taken steps towards initiating a political dialogue, and continues waging a brutal campaign of repression against the population at large in order to stamp out widespread opposition to military rule.
“ASEAN member states must recognize that the Myanmar military has become a criminal organisation that is holding hostage the whole of the country’s population,” said Eva Sundari, former member of the House of Representatives in Indonesia and Board Member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).
Read: Myanmar violence, Ukraine war loom over ASEAN meetings
ASEAN’s Foreign Ministers are meeting less than two weeks after the Junta executed four political prisoners sentenced to death, Phyo Zeya Thaw, former lawmaker for the National League for Democracy (NLD); the prominent activist Kyaw Min Yu, widely known as ‘Ko Jimmy’; Aung Thura Zaw; and Hla Myo Aung.
Those are the first known judicial executions in Myanmar since 1988, according to Amnesty International, and were carried out secretly, after trials conducted by military tribunals without any respect for due process, as APHR has denounced.
The junta went on with the executions despite international pleas not to carry them out. Even Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, and current ASEAN Chair, made a plea for the prisoners to be spared, despite the leniency that his government has shown towards the junta this year.
As ASEAN Chair, Cambodia has undone a great deal of the work that other member states had been doing to isolate the Myanmar generals, thus granting them legitimacy they do not deserve.
“After those barbaric executions, Cambodia should stop pandering to the generals, and ASEAN foreign ministers should make their meeting in Phnom Penh a turning point to lift the Myanmar people out of their suffering. The junta believes it can get away with its crimes and ignore the international condemnation because up to now it has not led to any concrete consequences,” said Sundari.
ASEAN should put in place enforcement mechanisms in order for the Five Point Consensus to work. Starting with imposing targeted sanctions and travel bans in the region on Min Aung Hlaing and his men.
The regional group should also publicly engage and recognize the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG), which is leading the pro-democracy forces and represents the Myanmar people’s aspirations for democracy, as well as ethnic organisations.