Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina visiting China July 8-11, several projects to be discussed

Dhaka, July 4 (FN Agency) Bangladesh is keen to seek Chinese loans for nine road and railway projects, and the issue could feature during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to China from July 8 to 11. The bridges and railways ministries have sent a list of these projects to the foreign ministry, ahead of Sheikh Hasina’s Beijing visit. There are six railway projects in the list and the other three projects are – construction of a metro rail line from Gabtoli in Dhaka to Narayanganj, construction of a new bridge over the river Kocha in Pirojpur and repair of the Muktarpur bridge in Munshiganj, Prothom Alo reported. Chinese loans for these projects may get priority in the bilateral discussions during the visit of PM Sheikh Hasina. Notably, Prime Minister Hasina was on a two-day state visit to New Delhi on June 21-22, during which she held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two sides inked a slew of agreements. China is reportedly keen to elevate the bilateral relations to comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, during the visit of Prime Minister Hasina.

The two nations had elevated their bilateral relations to “strategic partnership” from trade and economic cooperation when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Dhaka eight years ago. Bangladesh also joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the main enterprise of China’s foreign and strategic policies, at that time as well. The joint statement issued after the formal meeting of the two sides is likely to reflect the elevation of the ties to comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Several years ago Dhaka took a coordinated initiative to implement development infrastructures centering around the Matarbari deep sea port after joining Japan’s Initiative of BIG-B (The Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt). Similarly, the Bangladesh government is moving ahead with an initiative for a coordinated infrastructural development (CD) centering around the deep sea port at Payra in the southern region of the country. Bangladesh is keen that China be the main partner in the implementation of this coordinated infrastructural development. This issue will get special focus during Prime Minister Hasina’s visit to China, Prothom Alo said, quoting diplomatic sources.