Bangladesh
It's high time Bangladesh and China sign FTA with investment deal: Speakers
Bangladesh and China should soon sign a comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost especially Dhaka’s exports to hugely potential Chinese market, speakers at a discussion said on Wednesday.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi who attended the virtual discussion as the chief guest said though there has been some progress towards signing an FTA with China, more efforts are needed to conclude the negotiation and materialize the the FTA.
"I believe this will help Bangladesh to face the LDC graduation challenges," he said.
Speaking as special guest Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said it is high time to really consider an FTA combined with an Investment deal between Bangladesh and China.
Read:Bangladesh, Oman keen to expand economic partnership
He pointed out that there is a huge potential for Bangladesh to boost its exports to China.
The discussion titled “Bangladesh-China Economic and Trade Relations in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic” was organized jointly by Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) and Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCCI).
Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Md. Sirazul Islam and Bangladesh Ambassador to China, Mahbub Uz Zaman also joined it as the special guests.
Eminent Trade Economist Dr. Mohammad Abdur Razzaque presented the keynote paper.
The bilateral trade between the two countries heavily favours China.
Out of around $12.09 billion bilateral trade in FY20, Bangladesh's export to China only accounted for $0.60 billion while imports from China totalled a mammoth $11.49 billion.
Minister Tipu said as part of its unilateral market access schemes for LDCs, China has allowed duty-free access to Bangladesh for 97 per cent of its tariff lines which became effective from July 1, 2020.
Read:Pragmatic talks underway over vaccine procurement, coproduction: Ambassador Li
Under this initiative, 8,256 Bangladeshi products enjoy zero tariff facility for exports in this market. "I strongly believe that by fully utilizing this DFQF facility, the trade imbalance can be reduced in a greater extent."
The commerce minister said Bangladesh gives utmost priority to its relations with neighbouring and regional friendly countries like China while the relationship between the two countries has developed robust based on mutual trust and interests.
Ambassador Li said both the entrepreneurs and businesses of China and Bangladesh suffered from the pandemic as the bilateral trade witnessed a fall of 13.6 per cent in 2020 from the last year.
He, however, termed attainment of Bangladesh's 6.1 per cent GDP growth in the outgoing fiscal year as "very encouraging".
The Chinese Ambassador said although there is a huge trade imbalance, but there would be more exports from Bangladesh to China in the coming days.
Li said he was fully confident that under the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, there would be more areas of cooperation in different fields like in 5G communication, high-speed railway as well as the G to G and PPP initiatives would get momentum in the post pandemic era.
BIDA Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam said that the Authority would facilitate and expedite investment from Chinese investors. "We want to see more FDI from China. BIDA is always ready to support Investment promotion and in policy advocacy,"
Read:Big-B Initiative to bring more investment to Bangladesh: Shahriar
He sad it would be a real game changer if Bangladesh could tap the potential Chinese market. "If we can explore even 1% potential of Chinese market, then the exports of Bangladesh to China will total $25 billion."
Ambassador Mahbub Uz Zaman said there is an excellent platform for cooperation between the two countries for further consolidating the bilateral relations.
"Chinese investments to Bangladesh have been playing an important role and have also been contributing towards employment generation" Mahbub said adding that the Chinese investors are looking forward to invest in the special economic zones in Bangladesh.
Dr. Razzaque suggested that Bangladesh increases its RMG exports to China. It can expand cooperation with China in artificial intelligence, robotics, and can set up technological hub with China.
He said that establishing a full-fledged FTA is an option to retain the available market access in China, but it comes with reciprocity.
He said there are estimates to suggest that a comprehensive bilateral FTA would have an overall positive impact on Bangladesh’s exports by 22 per cent of current exports to China.
On the other hand, Chinese exports to Bangladesh could increase by about 16 per cent.
Read:Korea supports strengthening digital investigation capability of Bangladesh Police
Any FTA deal with China should be backed by an investment agreement from which Bangladesh should be able to expand its exports and can keep bilateral trade deficits within reasonable, said Dr Razzaque.
ERF President Sharmeen Rinvy and Joint Secretary General BCCCI, Al Mamun Mridha delivered welcome remarks.
BCCCI President Gazi Golam Murtoza chaired the event while ERF General Secretary, S M Rashidul Islam moderated the function.
Senior Vice President, BCCCI Brig. Gen. Shah Md. Sultan Uddin Iqbal offered the vote of thanks.
Bangladesh’s road to digitalisation: 59 hill unions to get broadband internet
Fifty-nine unions under the country’s three hill districts—Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari—will get permanent broadband internet connectivity soon as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a proposal in principle in this regard on Wednesday.
As per the proposal, Bangladesh Computer Council will implement the project through Bangladesh Army awarding it a contract through direct procurement method (DPM).
“The BCC will award the contract to the Bangladesh Army to implement the project,” said Shamsul Arefin, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, while briefing reporters on the decisions of the Cabinet body.
Read: Nearly half of global population still lack internet access: UN Chief
The project was awarded to the Bangladesh Army considering the security risk and other relevant impediments in installing the optical fiber in remote areas of the hill tracks, he added.
The scheme will be implemented under the project titled, ‘Broadband Connectivity Setup at the telecommunication-deprived areas’ of the BCC under the Information and Communication Technology Division.
However, the figure of the contract was not disclosed at this stage of approval. But it might be revealed when the project will gain be placed for the final approval of the Cabinet Committee of Public Purchase.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved 11 proposals of different departments under different ministries involving Tk 2,579.30 crore of which Tk 890.62 crore will be spent from the national exchequer while the remaining funds will come as loans by different financing agencies.
The committee approved a proposal of the Public Security Division of Home Ministry to procure a “Vehicle Mounted Mobile Interceptor and related services” at a cost of Tk 56.56 crore from Toru Group Limited, Switzerland, whose local agent is Smart SCM Solution, Dhaka.
The supplier was selected through a limited tender method (LTM) from two bidders vying for the works, according to the proposal.
Two tender proposals of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) under Local Government Division also got approval of the Cabinet body.
Dhaka Wasa selected China Geo-Engineering Corporation, China for its project “Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply (DESWS)” under package -1 to install 25 km refined water transmission lines from Rampura to Kachukhet via Vatara, Airport Road, Uttara, Gulshan and Banani involving Tk 589.31 crore.
Read:Landslide warning: People urged to evacuate foothills in Rangamati
Dhaka Wasa’s proposal to extend the time and cost of the consultant for the same project also received the approval of the committee.
As per the approval, the Joint Venture of (1) Kunhwa-DDC-FCEA and (2) Vernacular Consultant Ltd. Bangladesh’s work tenure was extended up to 75 months from the existing 36 months with an increased cost of 2.71 crore against the original cost of Tk 19.85 crore.
A project of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to construct a coordinated water control structure on the Punorbhara River in Dinajpur got approval raising its cost by Tk 12 crore against the original cost of Tk 43.74 crore.
A total of six proposals of the Roads and Highways Department under Road Transport and Highways Division also got nod of the Cabinet body.
Of these, China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd won a Tk 743.28-crore contract for interchange construction and maintenance under the improvement of Alega-Hatikamrul- Rongpur into a 4-lanes project.
Abdul Momen Limited won a Tk 601.10 crore contract for civil and maintenance works of the same project.
A proposal seeking a cost rise of Tk 47.88 crore for package PW-1 of the project to upgrade Cumilla (Tomson Bridge) to Noakhali (Begumganj) local road into a 4-lane highway received approval of the committee. Its original cost was Tk 193.84 crore.
The package PW-3 of the same project received a Tk 39.21 crore cost extension approval while its original cost was Tk 194.98 crore.
Read:Proposals to set up 15 MW HFO-power plant in Hatiya, 40,000 SHS in hill districts get nod
The package DW-05 of the Improvement of Important Local Highways (Sylhet Zone) received approval for extending the cost by Tk 16.81 crore against its original cost of Tk 186.98 crore.
The Roads and Highways Department’s awarding of a Tk 301.35 crore contract to National Development Engineers Ltd., to implement package – PW-01 of the Project for installing excel-load contract central at the transportation source points at important locations of the highways received the Cabinet body approval.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment’s proposal to appoint 112 non-government organizations (NGOs) for providing 6-month long sub-formal education and 4-month skill development training to 100,000 children at a cost of Tk 160 crore received the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily cases cross 2,500-mark; 36 more die
As the Covid-19 situation started worsening again, Bangladesh recorded 2,537 new cases in 24 hours until Wednesday morning, taking the total caseload to 8,17,819.
The virus claimed 36 more lives during the period that pushed up the number of fatalities to 12,949, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The number of infections and deaths is on the rise in different frontier districts amid fear expressed by experts that these districts will face a serious healthcare crisis as their hospitals are not equipped enough to face any worsening situation.
Health authorities detected the new cases after testing 20,584 samples during the period.
The daily infection rate increased to 12. 33 percent from Tuesday’s 12.12 percent while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58 percent.
Read: 7 Covid patients die at Khulna hospital
So far, 7,57,569 people have recovered from the disease with 2,267 new ones.
Among the deceased, the highest 10 people died in Khulna division.
The deadly virus claimed nine lives in Rajshahi division, six in Dhaka, six in Chattogram, six in Khulna, four in Rangpur and one in Sylhet divisions.
Among these deaths, 17 were men and 19 women.
Read: In Khulna, a scramble for Covid hospital beds
Of the deceased, one belonged to the age group of 21-30 years old, two between 31-40 years old, four between 41-50, eight between 51-60, and 21 were above 60 years’ old.
According to the DGHS handout, Khulna is the hardest hit district in Bangladesh in terms of fatality as 10 people died in the division in 24 hours.
So far, 295 people have died of Covid-related complications at Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital, according to an official.
Besides, authorities have recorded 81 new cases on Tuesday, after testing 279 samples, reports UNB’s Khulna correspondent.
Of the new cases, 39 people are from Khulna, 26 from Bagerhat, two each from Jashore and Pirojpur, and one each from Gopalganj and Jhenidah districts, officials said.
Read: TIB: Private hospitals too expensive for Covid-19 treatment
Dr Suhash Ranjan Haldar, Resident Medical Officer of Khulna Medical College, said 129 people are currently undergoing treatment at its dedicated Covid facility.
Of them, 63 have been kept in the red zone, 28 in the yellow zone, 20 in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 19 in the high dependency unit (HDU).
Bangladesh universities nowhere in QS World University ranking
No university of Bangladesh – neither public nor private -- has found any place at the top level of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University ranking of 2022.
The positions of Dhaka University (DU) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) remained unchanged at 801-1000, a very abysmal show at the global stage.
Read: Barishal University: 82, inc. 40 teachers, earn promotions
Besides, Bangladesh’s two top private universities -- Brac University and North South University – have got their places at 1001-1200.
QS does not assign specific positions for universities rated below 500.
But the universities in India and Pakistan have greatly outclassed those in Bangladesh as eight Indian and three Pakistani universities found their positions in the top 500.
Read: University students to be vaccinated for reopening dorms: UGC
Twenty-six Asian universities were named in the global top 100 in the latest ranking like the previous year.
Two universities of Singapore – the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University – are there at the 11th and 12th spots respectively in the global ranking.
Read:The contenders to be the next VC of Rajshahi University
Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) earned the top spot for the 10th consecutive time. It was followed by the University of Oxford, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and Harvard University, in the top five.
QS evaluates 1,300 universities across the world according to six metrics: Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty/Student Ratio, Citations per faculty, International Faculty Ratio, and International Student Ratio.
Finance Minister dismisses the claim of 2.5 crore new poor
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday discounted a claim that the coronavirus pandemic has made up to 2.5 crore new poor in the country.
“I don’t believe that 2-2.5 crore people are now below the poverty line. I need to know from where some research organizations have collected the figure”, he told a reporter after attending a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.
Read: ARTICLE 19 lauds tax exemption move for 3rd gender citizens in proposed budget
He said the government has its own research bodies and they are now working on it. “I will look into it when the government bodies complete their findings”.
He said no figure will be acceptable before the government’s own research bodies’ present their findings.
Read: JS passes Tk 13,987.27 cr supplementary budget
Defending the proposed national budget for fiscal 2021-22, the finance minister said his budget has no weak points.
Trashing the comments of some economists that the budget has failed to address the problems of corona-affected low income groups, he said everything in the budget is strong.
Read: New budget proposals inadequate in tackling poverty, say rights groups
“You will see the results of the budget that it would serve the interest of poor people when implementation starts”, he said.
He said he has followed the Prime Minister’s instruction to bring the poor people within the mainstream of the economy.
Dhaka world's 4th worst liveable city
Bangladesh capital Dhaka has ranked the fourth least liveable city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) annual global survey.
The worldwide league table ranks 140 cities on a range of factors, including political and social stability, crime, education and access to healthcare.
Dhaka has been ranked 137th among 140 cities with 33.5 points. It scored 55 in stability, 16.7 in healthcare, 30.8 in culture and environment , 33.3 in education and 26.8 in infrastructure.
The Bangladesh capital ranked the third worst liveable city in the Global Liveability Index 2019 and the 2nd worst in 2018 Index.
Read: Dhaka’s air quality improved in lockdown, a blessing in disguise!
As the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, the metropolitan city of Auckland in New Zealand has been named the most liveable city globally by EIU.
That’s largely due to the country’s successful handling of Covid-19 which allowed schools, theatres, restaurants and other cultural attractions to remain open during the survey period from Februray 22 to March 21, 2021, according to the EIU.
New Zealand implemented a strict nationwide lockdown for several weeks last year to slow the spread of the virus. It also shut its international borders to most travellers.
Asia-Pacific cities dominated the top 10 rankings this year, even as the pandemic caused overall livability around the world to decline.
The top 10 most livable cities in the world, and their scores according to The Global Livability Index 2021, are: Auckland, New Zealand (96.0), Osaka, Japan (94.2), Adelaide, Australia (94.0), Wellington, New Zealand (93.7), Tokyo, Japan (93.7), Perth, Australia (93.3), Zurich,Switzerland (92.8), Geneva, Switzerland (92.5), Melbourne, Australia (92.5),Brisbane, Australia (92.4).
The livability index ranks cities based on more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
Due to the pandemic, the EIU added new indicators such as stress on health-care resources as well as restrictions around local sporting events, theatres, music concerts, restaurants and schools.
Read:Dhaka is world's most polluted city
‘Big shake-up’ in rankings
The impact of Covid-19 has been fairly obvious in the rankings, according to Simon Baptist, global chief economist at the EIU.
“There’s been quite a big shake-up in terms of, certainly the top 10, but also right throughout the ranking, based upon the Covid-19 situation,” he told CNBC.
Cities that were in lockdown or were experiencing a surge in cases during the survey period saw their scores reduced on several criteria, which led to many European cities falling down the ranks, Baptist explained.
That includes the Austrian city of Vienna, which consistently ranked near the top over the last several years. This year, however, it failed to break into the top 10 and came in 12th position.
On the other hand, cities in Australia, New Zealand and Japan remained relatively open, with good availability of services, while their health-care systems were resilient due to a comparatively low number of cases, he added.
The Hawaiian capital of Honolulu was the biggest gainer on the index, moving up 46 places to finish 14th due to its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus and rapid vaccine rollout. Among other cities, Taipei finished 33rd while Singapore came in 34th.
Asia vs. Europe
On a regional average, Asia ranked well below North America and Western Europe, according to the EIU. Damascus in Syria remained the world’s least livable city — Syria marked 10 years of civil war this year.
Read: Govt plans population density survey to make Dhaka livable
“Asia has some of the world’s most livable cities, it also has some of the least livable,” Baptist said. While cities in Australia, New Zealand and Japan dominated the top 10 positions, places like Dhaka, Bangladesh, Karachi, Pakistan and Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, languished near the bottom and have been doing so for a while,” he added.
Since the first survey period ended this year, some of the top cities in Asia-Pacific saw a spike in Covid-19 cases, including Melbourne and Tokyo. On the other hand, European and North American cities have aggressively rolled out their vaccination programs and are in the process of opening up.
Australia and New Zealand have not yet re-opened their borders to most travelers — a factor that Baptist said may affect the future rankings of their cities.
“It’ll be interesting to see there, if things in Europe and the U.S. have opened up more, especially in terms of international travel. But (if) things in Australia and New Zealand still have not, then we might find the ranking of Australian and New Zealand cities suffering a bit,” Baptist said, adding that he expects the European cities to potentially show a big improvement by the next survey period.
7 Covid patients die at Khulna hospital
As many as seven Covid patients have died in the past 24 hours at Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital, health officials said on Wednesday.
Besides, authorities have recorded 81 new cases on Tuesday, after testing as many as 279 samples, less than Monday's single-day record tally of 131.
Read:In Khulna, a scramble for Covid hospital beds
Those who died were identified as Darbesh Ali, 72, of Jhenaidah, Selim Jamadar (65) of Morelganj, A Malek, 75, Trishar Kanti (58) of Phultala upazila in Khulna, Ayzan Begum (75) of Koyra upazila, Kazi Saidur Rahman, 74, of Jashore district, and A Hye Shikdar, 80, of Bagerhat district.
So far, 295 people have died of Covid-related complications at Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital, officials said.
Read: Weeklong strict restrictions imposed in Khulna
Of the new cases, 39 people are from Khulna, 26 from Bagerhat, two each from Jashore and Pirojpur, and one each from Gopalganj and Jhenidah districts, officials said.
Resident Medical Officer of Khulna Medical College and Hospital and the nodal person for its corona unit, Dr Suhash Ranjan Haldar, said 129 people are currently undergoing treatment at the dedicated Covid facility.
Read: Covid-19: Strict restrictions imposed in Rajshahi, parts of Khulna, Naogaon
Of them, 63 have kept in the red zone, 28 in the yellow zone, 20 in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 19 in the high dependency unit (HDU).
Meanwhile, authorities have imposed lockdown restrictions in Sadar, Khalishpur, Shonadanga areas of Khulna city, Paikgachcha municipality and Rupsha upazila to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission.
Bangladesh, Oman keen to expand economic partnership
Bangladesh and Oman have discussed formation of a Joint Business Council as the two countries see "huge potential" for expanding economic partnership.
The two sides at the first ever Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) held virtually on Tuesday also discussed possibilities of investment in High Tech Park and economic zones of Bangladesh.
Read:Pragmatic talks underway over vaccine procurement, coproduction: Ambassador Li
Both sides agreed upon new areas of cooperation which includes maritime affairs, diplomatic academies, think-tanks and start-ups and desalinization.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen led the 12-member Bangladesh delegation including representatives from the Ministry Home Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Armed Forces Division and Bangladesh Ambassador to Oman.
Undersecretary Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy led the Omani delegation.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen extended special thanks to the Government of the Sultanate of Oman for taking good care of the Bangladesh Community in Oman during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read:Big-B Initiative to bring more investment to Bangladesh: Shahriar
Undersecretary Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy appreciated the contribution of Bangladesh community to the economies of the both the countries.
While appreciating the generosity of Bangladesh for hosting 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingya people, he expressed Oman’s unflinching support on Rohingya issue.
Both sides agreed to work closely to address the ongoing challenges that emanated from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agenda of the consultations focused on the ongoing political relations, economic cooperation, capacity building and training of Bangladeshi workforce, consular issues, and people-to-people contacts.
Read:Korea supports strengthening digital investigation capability of Bangladesh Police
They agreed on the importance of health and food security in the coming days.
Both sides exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues and enhance the close cooperation in the multilateral fora.
Pragmatic talks underway over vaccine procurement, coproduction: Ambassador Li
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Wednesday said a "very pragmatic" discussion is underway on procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses from China to meet Bangladesh's needs.
He also said there is very "encouraging progress" between the two countries over coproduction of vaccines.
The Ambassador was addressing a virtual discussion on “Bangladesh-China Economic and Trade Relations in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic” jointly organized by Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) and Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCCI).
Read: Relations with China as usual: FM Momen
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi spoke at the event as the chief guest.
Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Md. Sirazul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to China Mahbub Uz Zaman, Senior Vice President, BCCCI Brig. Gen. Shah Md. Sultan Uddin Iqbal, Joint Secretary General BCCCI Al Mamun Mridha and ERF President Sharmeen Rinvi and other leaders of FBCCI also spoke.
Eminent Trade Economist Dr. Mohammad Abdur Razzaque presented the keynote paper at the event moderated by ERF General Secretary SM Rashidul Islam.
Monsoon rains expose Cumilla's poor drainage network
The constricted drainage network in the district's Burichang upazila headquarters has proved to be inadequate yet again.
Several roads in the upazila have gone under water due to the incessant showers over the past few days. At many places, road potholes have proliferated, causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
Like every year, the rains have inundated the tall claims of the local authorities on monsoon preparedness.
A reality check by UNB revealed the poor condition of roads in several parts of the upazila, particularly the Cumilla-Burichang-Brahmanpara-Mirpur stretch and the otherwise busy Sarakekhana.
Read Also: Monsoons bring back the menace of waterlogging
The monsoon fury did not even spare the Upazila Awami League office.
Local residents attributed the waterlogging to the upazila's poor drainage system. "It's the same old story every year. Despite repeated requests, the authorities are yet to take a concrete step to overhaul the drainage network," said a resident.
Also read: Waterlogging piles agony on Satkhira municipality residents
According to residents, the potholed roads are responsible for a number of accidents in the area during the monsoon season. "It's high time that the authorities put an end to the sufferings of the public," said another local resident.
Upazila officials could not be contacted.