Before 1949 China was ruled by land lords and bourgeoisie in collusion with imperialist powers.
The semi-colonial and semi-feudal system was the root of exploitation and people's suffering in Chinese society. After a long struggle and sacrifices, the Chinese people stood up under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which was led by Comrade Mao Zedong. Comrade Mao Zedong had declared New China on 1st October, 1949.
With the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese leadership put special thrust on economic growth. Taking experience from the past, Comrade Deng Xiaoping introduced economic reform in the third Plenary Session of the 11th Party Congress of the CPC in 1978. As a result, China emerged as the number one economic power of the world within the span of decades. This economic transformation is an extraordinary achievement in the development history of humankind.
China's outstanding achievements are a strong testimony to the fact that modernisation of countries across the world won't be on a unitary and isolated development path. China's development path and concept have begun to reverberate in the world as a new option and a source of inspiration for countries seeking self-development and integration into the global order without compromising independence and self-reliance. The Chinese leadership learnt a lesson from the collapse of the Soviet Union and unfurled the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Comrade Deng Xiaoping, the architect of modem China, once said, "To build socialism, it is necessary to develop productive forces. Poverty is not socialism". Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, the CPC led the people on a painstaking journey to explore the means of building and developing socialism. To modernise the productive forces, the dynamic Chinese leadership pointed out that a rigid economic system and a sole form of ownership restricted the rapid growth and optimal use of factors of production. Following the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy since 1978, the CPC, having drawn profound lessons from the past, gradually established a basic economic system whereby public ownership constitutes the mainstay while various forms of ownership are able to develop side by side.
As a result, China's productive forces, overall national strength, and living standards have all witnessed remarkable improvement. The Chinese people have consolidated and developed the public sector of the economy, unwaveringly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector and thereby laid down a solid material foundation to underpin the prosperity and strength of the country, the happiness and well-being of the people as well as the harmony and stability of the Chinese society.
The CPC is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation; it is core of the leadership for building socialism with Chinese characteristics. History justifies the belief that only the CPC can lead the Chinese people to national independence, liberation and social development, and only it can create a socialist path with Chinese characteristics and realise national revitalisation, prosperity and well-being.
It is broadly acknowledged that the CPC is a political party with politically firm, theoretically mature and intellectually capable leadership following the mass line integrated with the people. The CPC enjoys respect amongst the people of Bangladesh. The role played by the CPC and its success since its founding is deeply recognised and appreciated by the world community in general and the mainstream of Bangladesh society in particular.
Hopefully the CPC under the strong guidance of its visionary leadership like President Xi Jinping, would be able to lead the party as well as the country ahead along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, so as to further promote peaceful development, people's well-being and build a moderately prosperous and harmonious society in all respect not only in China but also in the globalised world as a whole.
Bangladesh and the People's Republic of China enjoy excellent bilateral relations. Friendship with China, the country's consistent friend, dates back to antiquity. Relations between the two countries have also been consolidated by the commitment to peaceful coexistence, mutual trust and respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non- interference in each other's internal affairs based on five principles.
Bangladesh will always stand by its principled position of supporting the "One China Policy" considering Taiwan and Tibet as integral parts of China. The so-called democratic reform movement in Hong Kong is totally internal affairs of the Chinese government as Hong Kong is an integral part of China.
Bangladesh has always supported the regional initiatives for developments sponsored by China. This support emanates from a deep-rooted belief that development is a trans-boundary phenomenon, particularly in the context of this part of the world, where people have successfully thrown away the shackles of colonial rule but could not so far overcome the tyranny of poverty.
We have, therefore, much in common to share and achieve. So at this juncture when China continues to make economic strides, the two countries can work together to achieve broader and wider development so that its fruit can reach every nook and cranny of this region, thus making regional development more sustainable and pro-people.
Bangladesh, sitting between two emerging economic blocs, ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) on the east and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) on the west, holds great potential for itself as well as its
neighbours.
A country with around 160 million hard-working people who are easily trainable in English as a second language, boasts, among others, strategic geographical locations, natural resources like gas and coal, skilled human resources, social stability, democratic governance, easy market access, low-cost business, attractive investment incentive package and above all, private sector-led economic growth strategy.
With 6.0 per cent plus GDP growth rate over the past few years, Bangladesh is on the threshold of becoming an economic powerhouse as well as a hub of investment in the region. With the country's pluralistic democratic process and secular outlook taking root, the economy, as a whole, is showing vibrancy and is at a take-off stage.
China is considered one of the consistent development partners of Bangladesh. Therefore, its sustainable economic growth in the take-off stage is very important in the context of warm bilateral relations.
If the intrinsic advantages enjoyed by Bangladesh could be combined with Chinese investments and technology, then a remarkable transformation of both the economies could be achieved in a win-win situation.
So the need is to invite Chinese entrepreneurs to relocate their knowledge-based industries in Bangladesh. Through a relocation process Bangladesh would be able to achieve the goal of becoming an industrially developed middle-income country by 2021 as per the vision declared by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In ancient times, all the SAARC countries and China were connected with roads, and beside trade and commerce, interactions in the fields of religion and culture had taken place.
This was through, what is known as the famous Silk Road. However, during the colonial days, political barriers were put up to separate the peoples and
territories.
Today, the need is to revive the transport and trade links and bring forth benefits of trade and development. There is also a need for rebuilding a sense of community among the historic neighbours.
In recent years, the growing volume of informal commerce, has perhaps awaken all up to the reality and pointed out the tremendous possibilities. The railway and road link from Chittagong to Kunming and deep-sea port in Sonadia Island have thus become a compelling necessity.
A former industry minister, the writer is the general secretary of the Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal.
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