Dhaka:Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for China's cooperation to address the ongoing Rohingya crisis, emphasizing the strain on Bangladesh from accommodating 1.3 million displaced individuals from Myanmar. He made this appeal during a meeting with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, held at the Prime Minister's Office at the Secretariat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, during the meeting, Tarique highlighted the economic, social, demographic, and environmental challenges Bangladesh faces due to the prolonged presence of the Rohingyas. He sought China's support in resolving the crisis. Liu acknowledged China's awareness of the situation and promised to communicate the Prime Minister's concerns to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In the meeting, Liu relayed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who reciprocated with greetings to both Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Liu mentioned that a joint declaration on a new era of bilateral relations was issued during Tarique's visit to Beijing, reflecting the intent to expand cooperation. He assured continued Chinese support for Bangladesh's development and expressed confidence in deepening bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reminisced about the historical ties between Bangladesh and China, established during the tenure of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. He emphasized the importance of preserving and advancing these relations for future generations and noted the launch of Bangladesh's canal-digging program following Ziaur Rahman's visit to China, which significantly contributed to agricultural development.
Liu expressed China's interest in strengthening the ties between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the CPC, inviting a BNP delegation to visit China. The Bangladesh-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and Bangladesh's potential inclusion in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) were also discussed.
The meeting was attended by BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Vice Chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, MP, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam. Liu was accompanied by Chinese Embassy Charge d'Affaires in Bangladesh Liu Yuyin, Peng Xiubin, and other senior officials.