Professor Shahab Enam Khan, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs, emphasized the need for a “better, transparent, and more accountable” trading regime between Bangladesh and China.
Speaking on May 15 at a symposium hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka, he argued that such a relationship could serve as a regional model for good governance.
“Let this relationship be a role model of uniqueness and prosperity,” Professor Khan stated during the event.
He highlighted the potential for Bangladesh-China trade and investment ties, adhering to global norms and standards, to bolster Bangladesh’s impressive growth and positively influence the broader region.
Khan, who also serves as a professor in the Department of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University, called for a comprehensive view of Bangladesh’s foreign policy towards China, involving global powers and their varied interests.
He referenced Bangladesh’s commitment to the One China policy, underscoring its alignment with values upheld during the 1971 Liberation War under the leadership of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The discussion also covered the Rohingya crisis and the broader stability of the Indo-Pacific region, emphasizing the importance of regional stability.
The symposium, themed “Reflecting on the Original Aspiration of Establishing Diplomatic Relations, Moving Forward Together,” featured Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen as the chief guest.
The Ambassador expressed his firm conviction that Bangladeshi friends, together with the international community, will continue upholding the One China principle. He also hoped that the international community will continue to understand and support the Chinese people’s just cause of opposing “Taiwan’s independence” and striving for national reunification.
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“We are one China, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an indisputable fact supported by history and the law. Taiwan has never been a state; its status as part of China is unalterable,” the Ambassador declared.
Economist Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir also spoke at the event, calling for greater connectivity and the establishment of Chinese cultural centres in Bangladesh to foster deeper people-to-people relations. The symposium was attended by former diplomats and experts who discussed various aspects of Bangladesh-China relations, including Munshi Faiz Ahmed, Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, and Mahbub Uz Zaman.