OPTIMISM as Xi Jinping flies in

Dhaka today receives Chinese President Xi Jinping with much optimism as he flies in here on a state visit, when he will sign over two dozen agreements relating to key development projects in energy, infrastructure and communication sectors.

He is expected to land in Dhaka at 11:40am by a special flight.

It is the first Bangladesh visit by a Chinese president in 30 years since the then president Li Xiannian came to Dhaka in March 1986.

His two-day visit is being viewed as another milestone in the “time-tested brotherly” relations between the two nations since they established diplomatic ties in 1975.

Xi, who visited Bangladesh in June 2010 as vice-president, will come to Bangladesh from Cambodia, where he was on an official tour, before going to India to attend BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit in Goa on October 15-16.

In a formal announcement, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday said the visit would steer a “historic new journey” towards opening up a “new horizon'” in relations between the two countries.

“This visit reflects the symbol of Bangladesh-China friendship… It'll set in a historic new journey through opening up a new horizon in the two countries' economic relations,” he told a press briefing at the ministry.

During Xi's visit, Bangladesh and China will sign over 25 agreements and MoUs in the areas of economic cooperation, trade, investment, power and energy, information communication, road-bridge, railway, road and waterway, agriculture and others, he added.

In an exclusive article for The Daily Star, Xi said, “Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 41 years ago, China has always regarded Bangladesh as its true friend and partner for development. China highly values its relations with Bangladesh…

“China stands ready to offer more assistance and support to Bangladesh to the best of its capability, enhance mutual assistance and cooperation with Bangladesh in areas such as disaster prevention and mitigation, vocational training, medical and health-care services, climate change and women and children…”

A 13-member high-power delegation will accompany the Chinese president. They include two important members of Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China Wang Huning and Li Zhanshu, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of National Development and Reform Commission Xu Shaoshi, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and Governor of the People's Bank of China Zhou Xiaochuan.

Bilateral trade between the two countries topped $10.45 billion in 2015-2016, while China has emerged as the biggest source of import for Bangladesh since 2007.

A Chinese diplomat in Dhaka told The Daily Star that the foreign direct investment by China in Bangladesh can witness a phenomenal boost when the special economic zone would be in place for Chinese investors.

He said China has taken Bangladesh as an important cooperative partner in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region and will, together with Bangladesh, keep high-level exchanges, and expand cooperation in trade, production capacity, energy development, infrastructure construction and other key fields.

China is the largest defence hardware supplier to Bangladesh, so discussions on enhancement of defence cooperation will be on the agenda as well. The two sides will also discuss regional and international developments, and will agree to make coordinated efforts for peace and security in the region, diplomatic sources said.

The Chinese president is prepared and willing to help strengthen Bangladesh's capacity to fight terrorism and is likely to offer technological support to advance Bangladesh's “zero tolerance policy” towards extremism, they added.

As China is a friend and partner of Bangladesh with huge potentials, a foreign ministry official said, Bangladesh is planning to pair its resources and economic ambitions with the rise of China and seek from China funds, technology, management skills, market access and capabilities to build on existing platforms in defence, agriculture, industry, communications and water resources.

India will closely watch Xi's visit, said diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi.

 “We are trying to figure out how much deeper relations between Dhaka and Beijing will go," said an Indian diplomat in Delhi. “The Chinese president's visit is taking place after the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6-7 last year, so we have an interest to see what China offers Bangladesh.”

Replying to a question in this regard, the foreign minister said the Chinese president's visit would not affect relations with other countries, including that with India. “We don't want enmity with anybody. We'll proceed with protecting the country's interest following our foreign policy motto: friendship with all, malice towards none.” 

China, like the US, had sided with the Yahya Khan-led Pakistani military junta during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War, but subsequently built a steady relation during Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad's military rule.

“Bangladesh's location in between South Asia and Southeast Asia is highly important,” said a Chinese diplomat in Dhaka, adding that China also had a very positive attitude to connectivity and projects relating to road and rail between the two countries to boost trade and economic cooperation.

Foreign ministry officials said the ties between Bangladesh and China embarked on a fast track of development since the two nations forged the “Closer Comprehensive Partnership of Cooperation” during the official visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to China in 2010.

 The two countries established a comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring long-term friendship, equality and mutual benefit in April 2005 during Chinese PM Wen Jiabao's visit to Bangladesh.

Dhaka-Beijing diplomatic relations were established on October 4, 1975, and Ziaur Rahman was the first Bangladesh head of state to visit China in January 1977 as the Chief Martial Law Administrator. 

President Zia again visited China in July 1980 when the two countries signed agreements covering loans and aviation transport.

From 1982 to 1990, President HM Ershad paid five visits to China -- in November 1982, July 1985, July 1987, November 1988 and June 1990.

Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina each visited China six times.

Talking to The Daily Star, a senior diplomat of a European country in Dhaka said mutual trust between Bangladesh and China was ever deepening in recent years while the two countries had increasingly mature dialogue mechanisms.

People-to-people exchanges are also flourishing. Recent years have seen a significant rise in the number of Bangladeshi students in China while many Chinese students are learning Bangla.

In addition, North South University has set up a Confucius Institute while there is a classroom named after Confucius at Shanto-Mariam University. Besides, Brac University and Independent University of Bangladesh have Chinese language courses.   

 The number of tourists visiting each others' country has also increased greatly.

Ahead of Xi's visit, major roads in the capital have been decorated with colourful lights and flags of Bangladesh and China.

Two Bangladesh Air Force Jet Fighters will escort the Chinese president's aircraft as soon as it enters the Bangladesh airspace.

Upon landing, he will be accorded a red-carpet welcome and a 21-gun salute at the VVIP terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, where he will also be given a guard of honour.

He will be received at the airport by President Abdul Hamid.

PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

Xi will leave the airport at 12:00pm for Hotel Le Meridien, where he will stay.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive the Chinese president at the Prime Minister's Office where they will hold a tete-a-tete from 3:00pm to 3:10pm.

Then the two sides will hold delegation-level talks from 3:10pm to 4:00pm where the Chinese president and the Bangladesh PM will lead their sides.

The talks will be followed by signing of agreements and MoUs.

The two leaders will then make press statements at 4:10pm.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will call on the Chinese president at Le Meridien at 4:35pm for a 20-minute meeting.

According to diplomatic and BNP sources, Khaleda Zia will call on Xi around 5:00pm at the hotel.

After the meetings, the Chinese president will go to the Bangabhaban to meet his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid at 6:30pm.

He will attend a state banquet to be hosted by the Bangladesh president from 7:00pm-8:30pm.

On Saturday, Xi will leave the hotel for the National Memorial in Savar at 8:20am.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq and the General Commanding Officer of the 9th infantry division will receive him there at 8:55am.

The Chinese president will lay a wreath there in memory of the 1971 war martyrs, sign the visitors' book and plant a sapling.

He will reach the airport straight from Savar and leave for Goa, India, at 10:00am tomorrow by the special VVIP flight.

Sheikh Hasina will see him off at the airport.