BD-China BRI coop in harvest season

Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen said cooperation between China and Bangladesh under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has entered a harvest season.
Bangladesh is the first South Asian country to join the BRI, which has taken root and blossomed in the golden Bay of Bengal over the past seven years, he said.
The envoy said this while addressing the Chinese National Day celebration programme in the city on Monday evening.
Projects like Padma Bridge and its rail link, Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Rahman Tunnel and several others have been completed one after another, he added. Mr Wen said the two countries should seize the new historical opportunities of development.
In this regard, he suggested further integration of development strategies, carrying out BRI cooperation targeting high-quality development, and exploiting economic advantages of both countries to complement and supplement each other.
"To specify," he said, "we could deepen cooperation in the fields of infrastructure development, information technology, new energy, agriculture and so on."
China and Bangladesh are time-tested friends with unwavering mutual trust, said Mr Wen, adding that the two sides have long been upholding each other on respective core interests and concerns.
China supports Bangladesh in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in opposing external interference so the country can maintain domestic unity and stability and achieve development and revitalisation.
"At regional and international arenas, we always respect, understand and uphold each other to sustain our common interests," continued Mr Wen. He said the amount of Chinese enterprises and Chinese people heading to Bangladesh for investment and tourism has also increased by significant scale.
"China attaches great importance to the betterment of relations with Bangladesh. The Embassy is committed to continuing the joint efforts with Bangladeshi friends from all walks of life to promote the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level."