Thrust on \\\'BD-China business outlook\\\'

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Bangladesh, with support from Chinese Chamber of Commerce, has recently organised a discussion platform on the topic of 'Bangladesh - China Business Outlook'.
Li Jun, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Andrew Tilke, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bangladesh, Li Zhen, Head of China Outbound of HSBC China, Bai Junkun, Chairman, China Chamber of Commerce and Shahidul Islam, Research Fellow and Consultant at the Institute of Governance Studies (IGS), BRAC University, Dhaka, were the speakers of the session. The speakers discussed about how the bilateral trade relationship between Bangladesh and China has evolved through time, the opportunities both the economies have to offer to the businesses in Bangladesh and China and how HSBC, as the leading international bank, can facilitate global trade.
China is the world's largest exporter and, in 2010, its economy surpassed Japan's to become the world's second-largest. It is now looking towards domestic demand as a key driver of growth. Diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and China was established in 1975. The HSBC Global Connection report predicts that by 2020, the share of Bangladeshi exports to Asia will double to 15 percent and over the next twenty years China, India, Vietnam and Malaysia will be the fastest growing export destinations.
The HSBC has had a continuous presence in mainland China for 148 years and has one of the largest networks of any foreign bank. In Bangladesh, HSBC was the first international bank to initiate RMB (Renminbi, Chinese currency) denominated cross border trade settlement. It is also the only international bank in Bangladesh to have presence in all of the eight Export Processing Zones.