Hasina emphasises ties with China

Chen Haosu, president of Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the city yesterday.Photo: PID

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has underscored the need for collaboration with China in the field of science and technology, energy, power, culture, sports, health, education, communications and human resources development.
She emphasised cooperation between the two countries when a Chinese delegation led by Chen Haosu, president of Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at her office yesterday. PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters about the meeting.
Hasina told the delegation that Bangladesh has a historic relation with China and expressed hope that the friendship between two peoples will be deepened through multi faceted public diplomacy programmes and enhanced people to people contacts.
She said exchange of visits at different levels would enhance bilateral trade and business and boost Chinese investment here.
Referring to Bangladesh's plan to establish direct road link with Chinese city Kunming, she expressed confidence that there will be maximum interaction between the two countries through Chittagong-Kunming road. The proposed Sister-City relationship between Dhaka and Chengdu will also enhance.
She said both countries could work together to make Bangladesh-China-Mynmar road link or the Kunming initiative a success.
In response, the Chinese delegation leader recalled the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the War of Liberation in 1971.
He said his country remembers Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's role in strengthening relation between Dhaka and Beijing.
Ambassador at Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister M A Karim and Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office Molla Waheeduzzaman were present during the meeting.