Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Thursday said China firmly supports Bangladesh in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, reaffirming Beijing's commitment to deepening strategic cooperation with Dhaka following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent visit to China.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka, Ambassador Yao described the prime minister's visit as a "complete success" and "a milestone" that has taken Bangladesh-China relations to a new strategic height.
"It's a complete success. It's a milestone in Bangladesh-China relations," he said, adding that the visit had strengthened strategic mutual trust between the two countries.
According to the ambassador, the most significant outcome of the visit was the decision to elevate the Bangladesh-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to jointly build a China-Bangladesh Community with a Shared Future in the New Era.
He described it as the highest level of China's relations with its friendly neighbours in Asia.
"The leaders of the two countries had candid and productive discussions. They reached important new consensus and sent a clear message of stronger communication, deeper mutual trust and closer cooperation," Yao said.
* China reaffirms support for BD's independence, sovereignty
* China stresses on BD-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor
* Beijing reaffirms commitment to Teesta project
* BD-China to deepen co-op in trade, AI, infrastructure
The ambassador said Bangladesh also reaffirmed its firm commitment to the One-China principle by recognising that there is only one China, Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
He said China highly appreciates Bangladesh's position, describing it as stronger support for China's core interests.
Yao noted that China became the first country to include support for Bangladesh's "Bangladesh First" policy in an official bilateral document.
The ambassador said both countries agreed to promote high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by aligning their development strategies and expanding collaboration in several emerging sectors.
The two sides will strengthen cooperation in trade, industrial and supply chains, finance, health, culture, education and sub-national exchanges, while exploring new opportunities in green and low-carbon development, the digital economy, information technology and artificial intelligence, he said.
Yao said China will also continue advancing major flagship projects, including port development and water resources management, to promote shared development and prosperity.
"Through concrete actions, our two countries have translated mutual support into reality and further strengthened our strategic mutual trust," he said.
Highlighting regional connectivity, the Chinese ambassador said Beijing is determined to establish a Bangladesh-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, describing it as an important platform for regional economic integration.
Responding to a question, he said the idea is not new, recalling earlier discussions on the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, which failed to make progress.
"China is determined to work with Bangladesh and Myanmar to build the economic corridor," he said.
He added that China remains open to India and any other country willing to participate.
"This cooperation is not the end of the game. We welcome other countries if they are ready. It is up to them to decide whether they want to join," the ambassador said.
He expressed optimism that Myanmar is also interested in strengthening regional connectivity through the proposed corridor.
On the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP), Ambassador Yao said the issue received special attention during the prime minister's visit because it directly affects the livelihoods of millions of people in Bangladesh.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying, and the two sides held in-depth discussions on water cooperation.
Reaffirming Beijing's position, the ambassador said China remains committed to supporting the Teesta project.
"China's commitment to the Teesta river project remains unchanged," he said.
According to Yao, China is ready to expand practical cooperation in water resources planning, river management, flood prevention, disaster reduction and capacity building. He added that experts from both countries will work to expedite the feasibility study and related technical work.
The ambassador also highlighted new institutional arrangements agreed during the visit.
He said the two countries agreed to establish a strategic dialogue mechanism between their foreign ministers and explore a "2+2" dialogue mechanism involving the foreign and defence ministers of both countries.
According to him, these mechanisms will provide a stronger and more stable platform for strategic communication and policy coordination.
Asked about defence cooperation, Yao said military cooperation forms part of the comprehensive partnership between Bangladesh and China but declined to comment on any specific defence procurement.
He stressed that China's policy towards Bangladesh remains unchanged regardless of global developments.
"No matter how the world changes, China will not waver in its commitment to the overall direction of China-Bangladesh friendly relations and will always be a trustworthy good friend, good neighbour and good partner of Bangladesh," he said.
Yao said the two countries are entering what he described as the "next golden fifty years" of bilateral relations.
"As our two countries embark on the next golden fifty years of bilateral relations, China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to fully implement the important consensus reached by our leaders and translate the outcomes of the visit into tangible benefits for the two countries and their peoples," he added.
Director Zhang Jing and Counsellor Song Yang of the Chinese Embassy were also present at the media briefing. �"UNB
