China wants to close trade gap
Terming Bangladesh an important country in the Indian Ocean region and China's strategic partner, Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday said they are also concerned about the trade gap between the two countries and his government is looking into the matter.
“We recognise the trade imbalance; we're also equally concerned at this. This has been raised up high and this should be reduced,” he told Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting at his office in the Great Hall of the People.
Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque shared the outcome of the meeting with the reporters.
The Chinese government, said Jinping, is looking into the trade gap issue to find out which items it could import from Bangladesh.
Jute products could be imported from Bangladesh to reduce the trade gap, he mentioned. The president extended his government's unconditional support for the agriculture sector in Bangladesh.
Jinping said China would share the technology of super hybrid rice with Bangladesh. China usually does not share this technology with others as this variety of rice was invented by it to boost rice production.
He stressed the need for setting up of a Bangladesh-China rice research institute.
About democracy, he said the model of democracy is different in different countries. “There's no standard model of democracy. If anyone thinks there's a standard model of democracy, then he is not right.”
Democracy should be built considering the situation, need and context of a particular country, he observed.
The foreign secretary said the Chinese president described Sheikh Hasina as an “old friend of the Chinese people”.
Recalling the visits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to China in 1952 and 1957, he said the relations between the two countries have been growing since then. “The relations will continue to grow and gradually go to higher levels,” hoped the president.
On the Vision 2021 of Bangladesh, Jinping said his country also has Vision 2020 when China will be a peaceful prosperous country. Both the countries could help each other to attain their visions, he noted.
Pointing at China's new initiative about the “Silk route economic belt and 21st century maritime silk route”, the president said Bangladesh is important for this. This route will start from China and end in Africa through India and Myanmar.
The PM thanked the president for the initiative. The Chinese leader praised the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and congratulated her on being elected as the PM for a third term.
The Chinese president through the PM invited his Bangladeshi counterpart to visit China. Hasina also invited him on behalf of the Bangladesh president to visit Bangladesh.
Jinping showed the utmost courtesy to the Bangladesh PM as he came to the corridor of his office to receive her which is not usual for a person like him in China.
Earlier, the PM called on Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), at his office at the same venue.
Zhengsheng highly appreciated the development of Bangladesh in different sectors under the visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina. He described the activities of the organisation.
He emphasised on regular exchange of visits between the CPPCC members and Bangladeshi lawmakers.
Although Bangladesh has some resource constraints, it could develop itself by developing its human resources like China, he noted.
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