"It's very important that we see China as our good friend," said Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, adding, "Our relationship has been very strong over the years. Our business is very strong and we benefit from our collaboration with China."
In a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua, Yunus said he expected bilateral relations to enter a new stage.
"Everybody in Bangladesh is inspired by what China has achieved," Yunus said, adding that the interim government's task is to rebuild a new Bangladesh, and the Bangladeshi people hope they can learn from China's experience in developing their own country.
Regarding China's poverty reduction achievement, Yunus said that most countries focus on GDP growth rather than addressing the needs of ordinary people, but China focused on the low-income group. "That's why the Chinese are very successful in reducing poverty very quickly."
Trade and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and China witnessed high-level development in recent years. China has been Bangladesh's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. At present, there are nearly 1,000 Chinese enterprises operating in Bangladesh, which have created more than 550,000 jobs in total.
Yunus noted that the two countries have established ties of extensive cooperation, which have produced many positive outcomes. "Bangladesh's imports from China are increasing. The bulk of our industrial-use products come from China."
Looking ahead, Yunus emphasized the economic complementarities between the two countries and their huge cooperation potential, saying that he hopes more Chinese investors will come to Bangladesh and open up a broader market together with local partners.
Recently, the first group of Bangladeshi patients, doctors, and travel agencies went to Kunming in China's Yunnan Province for medical check-ups and treatment, exploring the potential for the medical tourism market.
President Xi promises stronger cooperation with Bangladesh for its rapid progress
Yunus said Bangladesh could learn from China and build a better health care system to benefit the people.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bangladesh and is also designated as the China-Bangladesh Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
Referring to the stories of Monk Xuanzang leaving his footprints in Bangladesh and Buddhist scholar Atisha Dipankar contributing to the spread of Buddhism in China, Yunus highlighted the long history of friendly exchanges between Bangladesh and China, which laid a solid foundation for the fast and sustained development of bilateral relations.
"Bangladesh benefits from its cooperation with China. We can create not only a fast-developing economy, but a new kind of economy where everybody participates," Yunus said.
"We can take it to the next stage where our collaboration is not limited to the economy only. It will be cultural," he said.
Stressing the past 50 years of Bangladesh-China ties were exciting, the chief adviser said "the next 50 years would be more exciting."
He said he looks forward to bilateral cooperation in broader areas. "That's what we're looking forward to. (We will discuss) how to make sure that we share things together and make a journey together to achieve the things we collectively felt very strongly about."