A new journalism competition will be held in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka to encourage more and better-quality investigative reporting to bolster Bangladesh-China ties in trade, commerce and investment. An agreement on the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) - the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) Journalism Award was signed here Saturday. Both sides have decided to jointly hold the journalism award event. The "BCCCI-ERF Journalism Award" will cover five areas, including the trade and investment ties between Bangladesh and China, how the high-quality development of China has helped Bangladesh, science and technology, the Belt and Road Initiative and others. Noting the professional significance of such an event, Al Mamun Mridha, secretary general of BCCCI, hoped that it would further encourage the economic journalists to analyze the topics of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and China.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday termed the newly-built "Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center" at Purbachal a "new icon” of the fruitful cooperation between Bangladesh and China. He said it is also a vivid epitome of the friendship between the two peoples, not only in the field of economic and trade cooperation, but also in the fight against the pandemic. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the exhibition centre virtually from her official residence Gonobhaban. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Vice Chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau AHM Ahsan also joined the launching ceremony. On the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Exhibition Centre was named after him to honor the great contribution of Bangabandhu, said the Chinese envoy.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Wednesday said Bangladesh has been learning a lot from its biggest development partner, China, in poverty alleviation. “Both Bangladesh and China are among the most populous countries in the world and poverty alleviation is very important for both states,” she said while addressing a webinar as the chief guest. At the same time, Dipu Moni said, other countries are learning from Bangladesh a lot on how it has progressed tremendously under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Referring to the deep-rooted ties between the two nations, the minister said people normally talk about the 46 years of diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and China. “But, I believe, the friendship between the two countries goes at least 2,000 years back. She appreciated Chinese outstanding contribution towards Bangladesh’s socio-economic and education sectors, and urged the Asian giant to strengthen it in the days to come. Underlining the observations of some speakers, Moni said that for creating more skilled and time-befitting human resources Bangladesh is putting emphasis on technical and vocational education and training. The webinar titled “Poverty Eradication: Experiences from Bangladesh and China” was held on the occasion of declaration of a 25-member and two-year-long executive committee of the Association of Bangladesh-China Alumni (ABCA). Dipu Moni welcomed the newly-announced executive committee of the ABCA with Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad as President of the association and Professor Dr Shahabul Haque as general secretary.

Terming China the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Wednesday said the Bangladesh-China relations have achieved a rapid development. "The political mutual trust between our two sides has continued to deepen, the cultural exchange and education cooperation as an integral part of our deeply-rooted bilateral relations, have been active and fruitful," he said. Currently, the envoy said, China has become one of the top destinations for Bangladeshi students to study abroad and students are one of the main cornerstones of the friendship between the two peoples. "All of you are well aware of the journey to development that our two countries are having together and shoulder to shoulder," said the Ambassador.

Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya has said there is a full potential for Bangladesh-China relationship to be a prime mover for the economic and social transformation of Bangladesh in the next decade. He, however, said it will largely depend on how they prepare for it, address the prerequisites and be careful about the pitfalls which lie in their way. The economist said Bangladesh must insist that duty-free quota-free (DFQF) market access extended by China to Bangladesh has to be extended beyond the graduation (of Bangladesh from the LDC group). Also read: Rohingya Repatriation: Beijing assures to act as bridge to facilitate early results “Because, beyond graduation, we’ll still need market access support from our developing partners, including the South-South partners,” he said while addressing a virtual roundtable. Dr Debapriya hoped that China will declare that the duty-free quota-free market access will be available for Bangladesh, at least for the first nine years after the graduation. “The European Union and others are being persuaded to do so. The issue is on the table at the WTO. Thankfully, China, India and other southern countries are supporting us over there - the LDC group’s proposal,” he added. Due to the pandemic, the bilateral trade volume was dented with a 13.6% drop to 15.9 billion dollars last year. However, the “resilience and dynamism” of the two economies make it reasonable to expect a huge rebound this year. According to statistics from China Customs, the trade volume in the first four months of 2021 is 7.19 billion dollars with a 42.9% year-on increase. Also read: Never worry about any 'debt trap': Beijing to Dhaka China’s export to and import from Bangladesh stand at 6.84 billion and 350 million dollars, growing by 43.8% and 28.1% respectively. Last year, China granted 97% duty-free treatment to Bangladeshi products, which is seen as an important step towards a higher level of bilateral trade liberalization. Earlier, Dr Debapriya said, Bangladesh used to export over 5,000 goods and now another 3000 goods have been added to it. “So, we can export 8,256 items to the Chinese market, which is a great achievement.” He said the Bangladesh-China relationship needs to be understood in the global context and also in the regional context not only in the bilateral context. Debapriya said it is important that they get China more involved in creating the regional and global value chain in Bangladesh. “Bangladesh and China should be together in the global and regional value chain.” Also read: Experts for building brighter future keeping growing Dhaka-Beijing ties unaffected amidst geopolitics Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming delivered the keynote speech at the virtual roundtable titled “Bangladesh China Relations: Prognosis of the Future.” It was hosted by the Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, as part of its ongoing Ambassador’s Lecture Series. The opening remarks were delivered by the Cosmos Foundation Chairman, Enayetullah Khan. The session was chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government. Ambassador (retd) Tariq A. Karim, CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, former Foreign Secretary Shamsher Chowdhury BB, Assistant Researcher of the Institute for International Studies at Yunnan University Dr Zou Yingmeng, Assistant Research Fellow at China Institute of International Studies Dr Ning Shengnan, former Ambassador Serajul Islam and Dhaka University Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir comprised the panel of discussants.

The first batch of Covid vaccines Bangladesh has purchased from China will arrive here soon, according to the country’s ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming.     The Ambassador said this while delivering an on-line lecture to the students of Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) course 2021-2022 on "Chinese Foreign Policy: Implications on South Asian Region" held on Sunday  Also read: Bangladesh rolls out Sinopharm vaccine He did not specify any time on the arrival of the jabs. However, Bangladesh hopes to get 1.5 crore doses of vaccine- 50 lakh doses each month - from China as planned. 

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming has emphasized that China never takes India as a “strategic rival”  rather they consider India a good neighbour of China. “I would say, we never take India as a strategic rival. We still hope that the China-India relationship can be improved. So, never imagine that China would like to have any hostile or rival attitude to India. That’s not the case,” said the envoy. Read: Never worry about any 'debt trap': Beijing to Dhaka He made the remarks while responding to a question at an online symposium titled “Bangladesh-China Relations: Prognosis for the Future” hosted by the Cosmos Foundation and premiered on its Facebook page on Thursday evening. Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan delivered the opening remarks at the event while Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, renowned scholar-diplomat and adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government, chaired the session. Ambassador (retd) Tariq A. Karim, CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, former Foreign Secretary Shamsher M. Chowdhury, Assistant Researcher of the Institute for International Studies at Yunnan University Dr Zou Yingmeng, Assistant Research Fellow at China Institute of International Studies Dr Ning Shengnan, former Ambassador Serajul Islam and Dhaka University Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir comprised the panel of discussants. The Chinese Ambassador mentioned a number of platforms where the two countries are working together. “We’re still working very, very well together, very closely.” Read: Rohingya Repatriation: Beijing assures to act as bridge to facilitate early results Ambassador Li, as the Chinese Ambassador to India’s neighboring country - Bangladesh, hoped that this China-India relationship would be improved more in the future. Historically, they envoy said, they have more than 2000 to 3000 years of good relationship with India, and any Chinese intellectual like himself has a special feeling for Indian culture. “Any Chinese intellectual, who is well-educated, would have a special feeling. A good feeling, towards India - that is something untold publicly probably,” he said. Enayetullah Khan fondly recalled interviewing the present Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing back in 2004 (when he was the Vice-Foreign Minister) when Minister Yi talked about new foreign policy which is good neighborly relations with their neighbors.  “I asked, where does Bangladesh stand? His immediate answer was – Bangladesh could be the bridge between India and China,” Khan said, going down his memory lane. As one of the discussants raised the Quad issue - the 4-country alliance between the USA, Australia, Japan and India, that is seen as anti-Beijing. The Ambassador took the opportunity to explain what he said on the issue of Bangladesh possibly being invited to join, at a particular programme. “As an Ambassador to Bangladesh, the first foreign policy lesson I learned is that Bangladesh adheres to the idea of "friendship to all and malice to none." So, I have full confidence that Bangladesh will not be part of that small clique,” he said. “But when I was asked if you would like to see or do you think this is a good idea for Bangladesh to do so, of course, I would say no. What else can you expect from me? Should I say yes? That would have been ridiculous. So that is the story about Quad,” Ambassador Li added. He said he has full confidence and China has full confidence in Bangladesh that it would never take part in any small clique, especially involving military or security purposes. “This is the history that already taught us that Bangladesh would never do that.” The example of Sri Lanka came up in the context of a country that fell into a “debt trap” as a result of public investment projects financed by China. Ambassador Li, who delivered the keynote address at the symposium, however said there is no proven evidence that China created any 'debt trap' in any country, including in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. “I think you have an excellent system and you’ve excellent officials and Ministers to take care of that. So, never worry about that,” said the Ambassador. Referring to an article he read regarding Sri Lanka's debt situation, the Chinese envoy said the total Chinese debt accounts for only less than 8 percent of the whole debt of that country and of this 8 percent Chinese debts, much less is related to the Belt and Road projects. The Ambassador also said there is governmental to governmental debt, which is normally a soft, concessional loan with a very low interest and for a very long period of time. Dr. Debapriya of CPD said China has emerged as a big financial investor in Bangladesh involving major projects and those projects have major infrastructural implications.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he is willing to work with Bangladesh to further connect their development strategies, deepen practical cooperation across the board, and strive for new outcomes from the Bangladesh-China Strategic Partnership of Cooperation. “China and Bangladesh are close neighbours and traditional friends. In recent years, China-Bangladesh relations enjoy a sound momentum of development, with strategic mutual trust being strengthened and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative pressing ahead,” he said in a message to his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh, the Chinese President, on behalf of the government and people of China and in his own name, extended his sincere congratulations and best wishes to President Hamid and the friendly people of Bangladesh. Over the past five decades, President Xi said, the diligent and self-reliant people of Bangladesh have made remarkable progress in social and economic development, which has improved the living standard in the country, contributing an important share to the cause of global poverty elimination. “Our traditional friendship has been elevated to a new height in our joint efforts to fight COVID-19,” said the Chinese President. Also read: Will strengthen development strategies with Bangladesh: Chinese President “I wish Bangladesh great prosperity and her people happiness,” reads the message shared by the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday night. In a separate message to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Bangladesh-China relations are on a fast lane of development, with cooperation in all areas proceeding steadily. Facing the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, the two countries have been on the same boat and lent each other helping hands, further deepening the traditional friendship. “The Chinese side sets great store by China-Bangladesh relations, and is willing to further accelerate the pace of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to bring more benefits to our two countries and peoples,” said the Chinese Premier. Also read: Ready to bring China-Bangladesh ties to new heights: Xi Jinping On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh, he, on behalf of the government of China, extended sincere congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Hasina and to the friendly people of Bangladesh. “In recent years, under your (Hasina) leadership, the people of Bangladesh have been focusing on reform and development, and have achieved encouraging progress in building the country and improving people's livelihood,” said the Chinese Premier. As a friendly neighbour and partner, he said, China rejoices at the achievements of Bangladesh. “I wish Bangladesh great prosperity and her people happiness.” State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi also sent a message to his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen. Also read: Bangladesh, China can further fortify ties through exploring new areas of cooperation: PM “I’m ready to work with you to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of our two countries, promote pragmatic cooperation between our two counties across the board to achieve new results, strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs and bring benefits to the two countries and two peoples,” said the Chinese Foreign Minister. In recent years, he said, Bangladesh has sustained a sound momentum of social-economic development, with the living standard of her people improved significantly, and has played a contributing role for regional stability and prosperity. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the independence Bangladesh, the Chinese Foreign Minister extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Dr Momen. “I wish Bangladesh great prosperity and its people happiness.”

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Friday said they are now in close discussion with Bangladesh over coronavirus vaccine assistance.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said that he looks forward to establishing direct road and rail links with China via Myanmar.