Trade gap to be addressed, Chinese President tells Hasina
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
BEIJING: Terming Bangladesh an important country in the Indian Ocean region and China’s strategic partner, Chinese President Xi Jinping Tuesday said they are also concerned about the trade gap between Bangladesh and China and his government is looking into the matter.
“We recognise the trade imbalance, we’re also equally concerned. This has been raised up high and this should be reduced,” Jinping told Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a meeting with him, according to a news agency.
Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque shared the outcome of the meeting held at the Chinese President’s office in the Great Hall of People.
Jinping said the Chinese government is looking into the trade gap issue to find out which items China could import from Bangladesh.
He also mentioned the jute products could be imported from Bangladesh to reduce the trade gap, and extended his government’s unconditional support for agricultural sector in Bangladesh.
Jinping also said China would share the technology of super hybrid rice with Bangladesh. Usually, China does not share this technology with others as this variety of rice was invented by them to accelerate the production of rice.
He also laid emphasis on setting up of a Bangladesh-China Rice Research Institute.
About democracy, Jinping said the model of democracy is different in different countries of the world. “There’s no standard model of democracy, if anyone thinks there’s a standard model of democracy then he is not right.
The Chinese President said democracy should be built considering the situation, need and context of that particular country.
Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said the Chinese President described Sheikh Hasina as the ‘old friend of Chinese people’.
Recalling the visit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to China in 1952 and 1957, he said the relations between Bangladesh and China have been growing since then. “This relation will continue and gradually go to the higher level,” he said.
Pointing at China’s new initiative about the ‘Silk route economic belt and 21st Century maritime silk route’, the Chinese President said Bangladesh is important for this.
This route will start from China and end at Africa through India and Myanmar.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked the President for the initiative.