Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Sunday laid emphasis on enhancing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and China, especially boosting the trade relations, in the days to come.
“There’s no doubt that China is a great friend of Bangladesh and they play a big role in our development efforts,” he said.
The Commerce Minister was addressing the “BCCCI-ERF Best Reporting Award on Bilateral Relationship between Bangladesh and China” as the chief guest held at the ERF auditorium in the city.
Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) and the Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) jointly hosted the event where Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming spoke virtually as special guest.
BCCCI President Gazi Golam Murtoza chaired the event while its secretary general Md Shahjahan Mridha Benu and ERF general secretary SM Rashidul Islam delivered the welcome remarks. ERF President Sharmeen Rinvy also spoke.
BCCCI joint secretary general Al Mamun Mridha moderated the function and informed that they would continue to sponsor the award programme in the future and also would provide fellowships to ERF members.
Mentioning that trade and commerce in recent times play a very significant role in global politics, the Commerce Minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always directs the Bangladesh missions abroad to put priority on enhancing trade and commerce relations with different countries and thus boosting exports.
Tipu said China is the largest supplier of machineries and goods to Bangladesh while it is also Bangladesh’s largest trade partner.
He also cited there could have been a difficult time for the Bangladeshi RMG sector had there been no material coming from China in due time during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Commerce Minister said Bangladesh enjoys almost half of its global financial relationship with China and it really means a lot for the country.
Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming said Bangladesh has made remarkable achievements on the economic front and also in different socio-economic fields over the last 50 years while the country attained the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of schedule.
“I’m also sure Bangladesh is going to graduate from the LDCs by 2026 and also could be among the top 25 economies by 2030,” he said.
Referring to the issue of development cooperation, Jiming said everyone should keep in mind the new industrial revolution which is gaining momentum with the emergence of new business models and digital economy.
Dhaka for enhanced trade ties with Beijing
“The Covid-19 pandemic has provided new opportunities to leapfrog developing countries like Bangladesh,” he said.
The Chinese Ambassador said Bangladesh is an important participant of the Belt and Road Initiative and it was also the first country to join this initiative.
Jiming also invited Bangladeshi businesses and the Commerce Minister to take part in the upcoming China International Import Exposition and the Canton Fair to be held in China.
Later, the Commerce Minister along with the guests distributed awards among 10 best reporters in 10 different categories. Each of the recipients received a crest, a certificate and a cheque of Tk 50,000.
Dhaka for enhanced trade ties with Beijing
Awardees
The award recipients are: 1 Category: Bilateral business relations: Abul Kashem, The Business Standard; 2 Category: Investment of Chinese state-run companies in major infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, Shakhawat Hossain: The New Age; 3 Category: Chinese private sector investment in Bangladesh: Ahsan Habib; The Daily Star; 4 Category: Bangladesh’s private sector’s growing ties with Chinese companies: Mousumi Islam, Alokito Bangladesh; 5 Category: Life of Chinese investors and their workers in Bangladesh and the small businesses they have set up here: Jasim Uddin Haroon, The Financial Express; 6 Category; Challenges facing booming Bangladesh-China relationships: Late AZM Anas, The Financial Express: 7 Category: China as a destination of higher education for thousands of Bangladeshi students: Babu Kamruzzaman, News24; 8 Category: Bangladesh-China private and public sector ties in the health sector, especially in the coronavirus pandemic and post pandemic scenarios: Alamgir Hossain, Jamuna Television; 9 Category: Bangladesh-China private and public sector ties in tourism, hospitality and cultural sectors: Tahidul Islam, Gazi Television; 10 Category: geo-economics/economic diplomacy, particularly focusing Bangladesh and China: Masuduzzaman Robin, Jamuna Television.
Source: United News of Bangladesh