State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 and paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam received the Chinese Foreign Minister at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. The Chinese Foreign Minister placed a floral wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu and signed visitors’ book there. The State Minister accompanied the Chinese Foreign Minister while visiting the museum.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive here on Saturday afternoon to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues with Bangladesh leadership. Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque will receive the Chinese Foreign Minister who is likely to reach Dhaka at 5pm on a two-day trip, a senior official told UNB on Friday. Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka shared his programme schedule in detail till the time of filing this report on Friday evening. Minister Wang is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday morning apart from holding a bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart AK Abdul Momen the same day. The meeting between Foreign Minister Momen and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi is likely to be held at 7:30am (beginning with breakfast) at a city hotel on Sunday.  “This is going to be different from other bilateral visits. I can’t tell you in detail at this moment as many things are still under last minute discussion,” another official familiar with the development told UNB, speaking on condition of anonymity. Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will host a dinner in honour of the Chinese foreign minister on Saturday evening, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam. Read: Bangladesh seeks EU’s role for early repatriation of Rohingyas Foreign Minister Momen is expected to return home Saturday night from Cambodia after attending the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting (August 5-6). Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh and China are likely to sign multiple MoUs and agreements during Wang’s visit. He said the list is not finalised yet and it can be five-seven – new and renewal including cooperation on the disaster management and cultural exchange fronts. Shahriar assured that the planned MoUs and agreements will be aligned with Bangladesh’s cultural, social and economic policy though the list is not finalised yet. The state minister said the relationship between Bangladesh and China is “deep and wide” and the two countries will discuss areas of future cooperation. Responding to a question, the state minister said Bangladesh will seek a stronger role from the Chinese government for early repatriation of the Rohingyas. Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas and there is a tripartite mechanism – Bangladesh, Myanmar and China – to discuss and resolve the crisis. In January 2017, Wang had an hour-long stopover in Dhaka. This time, he is coming for a longer period. The Chinese Foreign Minister is likely to leave soon after his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  Read: Trade, Connectivity, Tourism: Bangladesh, Nepal seek greater collaboration The visit is taking place amid growing geopolitical tensions with impact on developing countries in the region while experts suggest Bangladesh to ensure a strategic balance amid these tensions. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said taking a new loan from China will not be a part of their agenda during the Chinese foreign minister's 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. Wang is a member of the 19th CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and a member of the Leading CPC Members Group of the State Council.  

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said things are still under discussion regarding Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's proposed visit to Bangladesh, noting that there is nothing specific yet. “Time, arrival and departure – these are not yet confirmed,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that both the visit and its agenda are still under discussion. Responding to a question, Shahriar said he was not saying that the visit is not taking place. “I am just saying all relevant things related to the visit are not finalized 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 to bring any third country in discussion between two countries bilateral discussion. “Please do not bring any third country in 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 on August 5-6 in Cambodia. Read:Make world free from threat of nuclear weapons: Dhaka Earlier on Sunday, foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said the Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to Bangladesh is part of their "regular contacts." "It can't be said (there's) urgency (from the Chinese side). Since he will be visiting this region, he expressed desire to come here if we can give time. We are looking into the timings," he said when a reporter wanted to know why there was so much urgency from the Chinese side. In January 2017, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had an hour-long stopover in Dhaka. "This time, he will be coming for a longer period," said the foreign secretary. Talking to a small group of reporters at his office on Sunday, the foreign secretary said the two countries will discuss ways to strengthen the relations during the visit. He said the Rohingya issue might also come up for discussion as the Chinese foreign minister was part of trilateral meetings in the past on Rohingya repatriation. Responding to a question, the foreign secretary said there are four-five MoUs in the pipeline which are yet to be finalised. The Chinese foreign minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 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.

Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen on Sunday said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s planned visit to Bangladesh next week is part of their “regular contacts.” “It can’t be said (there’s) urgency (from the Chinese side). Since he will be visiting this region, he expressed desire to come here if we can give him time. We are looking into the timings,” he said when a reporter wanted to know why so urgency from the Chinese side. In January 2017, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had an hour-long stopover in Dhaka. “This time, he will be coming for a longer period,” said the foreign secretary. Read: Bangladesh Missions in Australia, Denmark & Switzerland get new envoys Talking to a small group of reporters at his office on Sunday, the foreign secretary said the two countries will discuss ways to strengthen the relations during the visit. He said the Rohingya issue might also come up for discussion as the Chinese foreign minister was part of trilateral meetings in the past on Rohingya repatriation. Responding to a question, the foreign secretary said there are four-five MoUs in the pipeline which are yet to be finalized.   Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen is now visiting New York to attend an event on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and he will go to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting on August 5-6.He is expected to return home on August 6 evening. The Chinese foreign minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apart from a bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Momen to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues. Read: Allama Siddiki appointed Bangladesh envoy to Australia Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming met Momen last week at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed various issues of mutual interest including the proposed visit of the Chinese foreign minister. Momen told reporters on Friday said he will be happy to receive Wang noting that the visit has been finalised. "The Chinese Foreign Minister is a very respectable man, very close to me. He will come here. I said that the Chinese foreign minister will come to my city and I will not receive him or I will not be able to meet him, it does not look good," he told reporters expressing displeasure over a section of media reports quoting him. Wang is a member of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, State Councilor and a member of the Leading CPC Members Group of the State Council.

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday stressed that the Taiwan question differs in nature from the Ukraine issue and the two are not comparable at all. The biggest difference lies in the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affairs while the Ukraine issue arose from contention between two countries, namely Russia and Ukraine, Wang said at a press conference. It is a blatant act of double standards that some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question, he said. The current cross-Strait tension was caused by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority who denied the one-China principle and attempted to change the status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China, he said, warning that these moves will ruin Taiwan's future. Meanwhile, some forces in the United States have abetted the growth of separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" and tried to challenge and hollow out the one-China principle, he said, adding that such actions will not only push Taiwan into a precarious situation, but also bring unbearable consequences for the U.S. side. Also read: China tells US don’t fuel flames in Ukraine The future of Taiwan lies in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the country's reunification, rather than "empty promises" made by external forces, he said. "Seeking foreign support to gain dependence is a dead end. The scheme to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail," he said. China calls for calmness, rationality in resolving Ukraine crisis: FM Calmness and rationality, instead of moves that pour oil on the flame and escalate tensions, are needed to resolve complex problems, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday while elaborating on China's position on resolving the Ukraine crisis. RESOLVING UKRAINE CRISIS Wang stressed the need to remain committed to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and respect and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; to uphold the principle of indivisible security and accomodate the legitimate security concerns of relevant parties; to rely on dialogue, negotiation and peaceful means for dispute resolution; to aim for lasting peace and stability in the region and forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism. Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress. China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in facilitating dialogue for peace, and work alongside the international community to carry out necessary mediation, Wang said. The international community should focus their efforts on facilitating Russia-Ukraine talks and preventing large-scale humanitarian crisis, Wang said, noting that China has done some work while maintaining close contacts with relevant parties. China believes that the more tense the situation, the more important that the talks continue, and that the wider the disagreement, the greater the need to sit down and have negotiation, he said. Also read: China says it won't join in financial sanctions on Russia PREVENTING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS Wang put forth a six-point initiative on preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. First, efforts should be made to make sure that humanitarian operations abide by the principle of neutrality and impartiality, and to avoid politicizing humanitarian issues. Second, full attention should be given to the displaced people in and from Ukraine, and efforts should be made to provide them with proper shelter, Wang said. Wang then called for ensuring the protection of civilians and preventing secondary humanitarian disasters in Ukraine. Fourth, efforts should be made to guarantee safe and smooth humanitarian aid activities, including providing rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, Wang noted. He also called for ensuring the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine, allowing them safe departure and helping them return to their home countries. Sixth, support should be given to the UN's coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and the work of the UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine, Wang added. Noting that China will continue its efforts to overcome the humanitarian crisis, Wang announced that the Red Cross Society of China will provide Ukraine with a batch of emergency humanitarian supplies as soon as possible. Wang also expressed China's gratitude to those countries that have offered friendly and valuable support in evacuating Chinese nationals from Ukraine. China calls for preventing large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, pledges aid Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called for preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Regarding the situation in Ukraine, preventing such a crisis is one of the two priorities the international community must make continuous efforts on, Wang told a press conference on the sidelines of China's annual legislative session. Proposing a six-point initiative, Wang said that first, efforts should be made to make sure that humanitarian operations abide by the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and avoid politicizing humanitarian issues. Second, full attention should be given to the displaced people in and from Ukraine, and efforts should be made to provide them with proper shelter, Wang said. Wang then called for ensuring the protection of civilians and preventing secondary humanitarian disasters in Ukraine. Fourth, efforts should be made to provide for safe and smooth humanitarian aid activities, including providing rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, Wang noted. He also called for providing for the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine, allowing them safe departure and helping them return to their home countries. Sixth, support should be given to the United Nations' coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and its work of the crisis coordinator for Ukraine, Wang added. Noting that China will continue its efforts to stem the humanitarian crisis, Wang announced that the Red Cross Society of China will provide Ukraine with a trench of emergency humanitarian supplies as soon as possible. China willing to continue to play constructive role in promoting Russia-Ukraine talks: FM China is willing to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate Russia-Ukraine dialogue for peace, and work alongside the international community to carry out necessary mediation, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday. The international community should focus their efforts on facilitating Russia-Ukraine talks and preventing large-scale humanitarian crisis, Wang said, noting that China has done some work while maintaining close contacts with relevant parties. China believes that the more tense the situation, the more important that the talks continue, while the wider the disagreement, the greater the need to sit down and have negotiation, he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has sent a message to Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen wishing his speedy recovery.

China and South Korea should jointly strive to minimize the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on bilateral exchanges as well as economic and trade cooperation, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday night.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, held a phone conversation Friday on cooperation to fight novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP).

Bern,  Oct 24 (Xinhua/UNB) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Tuesday that the United Nations (UN) should become the main platform to practice multilateralism.