Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said on Thursday that investment issues, including Japanese assistance in ensuring energy security and infrastructure development, will dominate the Bangladesh-Japan summit meeting to be held in the city tomorrow (Saturday), reports UNB.
"We're giving highest importance to (Japanese) investment issues," he told a press conference outlining six major features of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Dhaka visit.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry were present at the conference.
The minister said the visit will play a very significant role in continuing Japanese assistance towards Bangladesh's socioeconomic development. "This visit can be considered as a milestone in terms of two countries relations."
Mr Ali said the Japanese side will renew its commitment to provide assistance for the big projects in Bangladesh apart from reviewing the progress over the joint statement signed by both sides during the Bangladesh Prime Minister's recent Japan visit.
"We hope, Japanese investors, with this visit, will get encouraged to invest in Bangladesh," he said adding a 50-member high-level business delegation will accompany the Japanese Prime Minister.
The foreign minister said establishment of an exclusive economic zone for Japanese investors would also come up for discussion during Mr Abe's visit.
He expressed the hope that Japanese investors will feel encouraged to invest in energy, electricity generation, infrastructure development, IT, textiles, readymade garment, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and other prospective areas.
"We'll also seek Japanese support for boosting Bangladesh's export," said the foreign minister.
Another report adds: "It's a big opportunity for us provided we can meet their (Japanese investors) expectations," Salahuddin Kasem Khan, vice president of Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI), said.
Mr Khan, also managing director of the AK Khan & Company Ltd, said an opportunity has come for Bangladesh to build a strategic partnership with Japan, a country which is again looking at Asean and South Asian countries as investment destinations.
Japanese investment to China has dropped by nearly 45 per cent in the last 11 months which Salahuddin Khan considers as a huge change as well as an opportunity for Bangladesh.
"In China, Japanese companies invest over US$5.0 billion a year. This has come down to half. We must seize the opportunity. Or else, they'll (Japanese investors) go to Vietnam, Myanmar and other destinations," he added.
The business leader said if Bangladesh fails to provide the required investment facilities to Japanese companies who are very interested to come to Bangladesh in a greater way, Bangladesh may miss another opportunity. "I think things would change, things need to be changed."
Mr Kasem, also chairman of the newly-formed company CEAT Bangladesh Ltd, said Japanese investors want 'one-stop service' in true sense which must be 'effective and workable'.
"They're not ready to waste time by going to each of the agency relating to investment," he said, adding that all the development institutions, particularly investment institutions - Board of Investment (BoI), BEPZA and BEZA should be housed in one building.
