United News of Bangladesh

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Tuesday said China supports Bangladesh’s interim government in its governance and backs the country’s efforts to hold the general election smoothly and successfully, and pursue a development path that suits its national conditions. "Bangladesh is now undergoing a pivotal phase of reform and development," he said while speaking at the DCAB Talk. Asked about the elections in Bangladesh, Yao said China wants a ‘smooth, successful and participatory’ election in Bangladesh. Asked about the timing, he said it was the people of Bangladesh to decide the time, not any foreign country. Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted the flagship event at Jatiya Press Club. DCAB President AKM Moinuddin and General Secretary Md Arifuzzaman Mamun also spoke on the occasion. At the beginning, a one-minute silence was observed, paying deep respect to former DCAB's former President Shamim Ahmad, who passed away on July 7 last, as well as the innocent victims, including children, who tragically lost their lives in the recent aircraft crash into Milestone School and College. Fakhrul calls for State reforms to improve public life Asked why China did not engage other South Asian countries in the first place, Yao said China found the relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan warming up, which inspired China to take up the initiative. China has many other trilateral initiatives and the China-Pakistan-Bangladesh one is only the latest one, he said. Sought comments on why China was inviting all the political parties, including BNP, Jamaat, National Citizen Party, to visit China over the last several months, the Chinese envoy said that China was engaging with all of the parties as now there is a chance for this. Over the years, he said, the engagement with the parties like BNP and Jamaat was hindered. Asked what was the nature of the hindering, Ambassador Yao said, "You know it!" Ambassador Yao said China is willing to always be a trustworthy good friend, good neighbour and good partner of Bangladesh. "To help Bangladesh achieve better development, we are ready to strengthen exchanges on governance experience and share experience in economic development, poverty alleviation, disaster prevention and mitigation and climate change response," he said, welcoming Bangladesh as it is playing a greater role in international and regional affairs.

British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson Monday said the UK is ready to send independent observers to the national election of Bangladesh if the country's Election Commission allows for it. "To ensure democratic institutions are effective, fair and credible elections are a must. A fair election must ensure that all parties are allowed to participate.  Everyone should be able to cast their vote freely, and the results of the election must be accepted by all parties," he added. "However, no foreign nation can tell Bangladesh how to conduct its election, and the demand for a fair election must come from the people of Bangladesh." Robert Chatterton Dickson was speaking at the "Meet the Ambassador" event, jointly organised by the Centre for Governance Studies and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Dhaka. He said the upcoming change in leadership in the UK would not shift the country's geostrategic focus from Indo-Pacific. Read: UN special envoy for Myanmar in Dhaka "The Bangladesh-UK relations is very strong now. And I am hopeful that this will continue to grow stronger in the future," he added. About Rohingya repatriation, Robert Chatterton Dickson said there is no quick and easy solution to the current problem and ensured that the UK would continue to provide Bangladesh with funding, as well as advocate for the issue at the UN Security Council.