The reason why the foreign affairs advisor went to China.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain has left for China to discuss ways to strengthen Dhaka’s economic partnership with Beijing and various issues. He left Dhaka on Monday afternoon.
Citing a diplomatic source, UNB news agency reported that China has already invited Principal Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus to visit Beijing in March this year and Dhaka is viewing it positively.
Bangladesh and China are preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2025.
The adviser is making the visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as the “very important first bilateral visit” after the formation of an interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Yunus in August last year.
He will meet with officials during his visit to China from January 21 to 23. He is scheduled to return home on January 24.
Bangladesh may request China to reduce interest rates on loans, extend the repayment period to 30 years and waive commitment fees to boost economic cooperation.
Bangladesh’s trade and economic relations with China are very important, the advisor told reporters at the foreign ministry last week.
He said they will discuss budget support, seek Chinese assistance, accelerate loan disbursement for Bangladeshi projects and demand a complete withdrawal of commitment fees.
A commitment fee in China is a fee charged by a lender to a borrower for holding a line of credit facility.
Bangladesh sees the foreign advisor’s first bilateral visit to China as a “great opportunity” to further strengthen and deepen bilateral relations with Beijing as a blueprint for future cooperation.
Asked about the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the advisor said there are some issues that will continue to be discussed positively, noting that Bangladesh’s relationship with China is not just government-to-government.
GDI is a multilateral development initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2021.
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