China ups duty-free access to 99pc

China announces raise in duty-free access of Bangladeshi products to the Chinese market to 99 per cent with effect from September 01, as the two countries strike four new accords of cooperation.
The announcement from the economic superpower came during a bilateral meeting Sunday in Dhaka between China and Bangladesh where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi led his country's delegation.
"This is a very significant achievement for Bangladesh as we hope that some of our key exportables will be included in the list of products," State Minister M Shahriar Alam told newsmen after the closed-door meeting.
The one-and-a-half-hour-long conclave also discussed issues related to Rohingya repatriation, PPP cooperation, Chinese investment, project implementation, easing visa restrictions and matters of geopolitics.
Capping the high-level talks the two sides signed four MoUs and agreement, in latest action in line with cooperation between the two Asian countries.
The deals are (a) Certificate of Handover and Acceptance of the China-aided project on the 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge (b) MoU between China and Bangladesh on the Plan of Special Assistance of Disaster Prevention and Reduction, (c) Cultural and Tourism Exchange Programme between Bangladesh and China for the Period from 2023 to 2027 and (d) MoU between the University of Dhaka and the First Institute of Oceanography, the Ministry of Natural Resources of China for Cooperation on Marine Science and Technology.
Mr Wang left Dhaka at 10:45 am after his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the zenith of his whirlwind Dhaka mission.
Close on the heels of his arrival here, United States Assistant Secretary of State for International Organisation Affairs Michele J. Sison also flew in Dhaka on a high-level mission from the US foreign office. And the triangular talks here touched on current geopolitical affairs, which take on an extra importance in the context of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's defiant high-voltage Taiwan trip.
During the bilateral talks, China also expressed interest in signing preferential trade agreement with Bangladesh, the state minister said.
"A survey in this regard will start soon."
The Chinese foreign minister urged Bangladesh to expedite necessary steps to start operation of the Chinese EPZ, saying that the export-processing zone will attract huge hinder companies.
Public-private partnership (PPP) cooperation between the two countries also came up for discussion.
Both sides agreed to remove bottlenecks in implementing the China-funded projects in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh in the meeting earnestly requested China to persuade Myanmar to start the stalled Rohingya repatriation, saying that the country is under serious burden due to the presence of one million refugees forced to flee Myanmar.
The Chinese FM said China would continue to facilitate dialogues between Bangladesh and Myanmar to resolve the crisis, but he also noted that the process was impeded by the critical domestic situation in Myanmar.
The press was informed that Mr Wang praised Bangladesh's economic success gained under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and noted that the country showed remarkable achievements in keeping growth momentum braving the pandemic.
The issue of Taiwan also came up as the Chinese FM apprised Dhaka of China's position in detail and thanked Bangladesh for reiterating its support to the One-China policy after the unfolding of the crisis, the state minister said.
Mr Wang also mentioned that many people have "wrong perceptions about Chinese policy due to the propaganda by certain countries".
China also informed that their embassy will start issuing visas to Bangladeshi students within a couple of days, the state minister said, adding that there were visa restrictions due to the Covid situation.
Later briefing the journalists about the meeting, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said his Chinese counterpart also briefed about the Global Development Initiative (GDI) floated by China.
They said that GDI was launched to enhance cooperation among countries to help each other to absorb the shocks of the pandemic and to ensure sustainable growth, Dr Momen said.
Asked about Bangladesh's position about this, the foreign minister said, "We told them that we have come across various proposals from different countries, but before taking any decision, we have to carry out a detailed study on the proposal."
He was asked whether he said Bangladesh always sticks to the One-China Policy, and as an independent country it does not bother if anyone feels unhappy about that.
The FM noted as the world is witnessing a 'Cold War'-like situation, Bangladesh needs to take "a stance of non-alignment".

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com