China and Bangladesh will see closer political, economic, trade and cultural ties, boosted by a two-day official visit to Dhaka by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, which ended on Sunday.
Premier Zhu held extensive talks with Bangladeshi President A.Q.M Badruddoza Choudhury, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Speaker of the National Assembly Jamiruddin Sircar, Foreign Minister Morshed Khan and other senior government officials, as well as leader of opposition Bangladeshi Awami League Sheikh Hasina on bilateral cooperation and regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Zhu said China and Bangladesh are close neighbors and their long-standing friendship based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence will remain unchanged, no matter what changes may occur on the international arena or in their respective countries.
The Chinese government has treasured the friendship between the two countries and attached great importance to their cooperative relations, Zhu added, stressing that China will forever be Bangladesh's trustworthy friend.
He noted the Chinese government highly appreciates Bangladesh's firm stand on issues concerning Chinese sovereignty such as the issues of Taiwan and Tibet, as well as Dhaka's correct position on human rights issues.
It is China's consistent policy to develop and consolidate themutually-beneficial and cooperative ties between China and Bangladesh, said the Chinese premier, adding that the Sino-Bangladesh relations are not only in the interest of the two countries, but also conducive to regional peace, stability and development.
The strong political ties between China and Bangladesh have been further cemented by their enhanced cooperation in economy, trade and culture. China and Bangladesh Friday signed seven agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on economic and technical cooperation, including four cooperation projects worth US$ 750 million.
Under these agreements, China will help Bangladesh build two coal-fired power plants and provide assistance to the construction of a sewerage plant and a water treatment plant in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh.
On Saturday, Premier Zhu and his Bangladeshi counterpart Khaleda Zia inaugurated a handover ceremony for the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center built on a Chinese government loan. The multi-purpose conference center, with a construction area of 19,926 square meters and costing 100 million RMB yuan (about US$ 12.8 million), was completed in July 2001 after 17 months of hard work by both Chinese and Bangladeshi engineers, technicians and workers.
The two leaders hailed the center as a manifestation of the friendship between China and Bangladesh, which has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.
China and Bangladesh have also signed an executive program of the Cultural Agreement Between the Government of Bangladesh and the Government of China for 2001-2003.
Zhu arrived in Dhaka Friday on a two-day official visit to Bangladesh, the first leg of his two-nation tour to South Asia, which will take him to India on Sunday.
He is the first foreign head of government to have paid an official visit to Bangladesh since Zia's four-party coalition government was formed following a victory in the October 1 general election last year. Zhu is also the first Chinese premier to have visited Dhaka in 12 years.
(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2002)
