Beijing, Apr 21 (PTI) A delegation of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by its secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng here on Tuesday, marking the first political contact between the two countries since the new government came to power in Dhaka.
In his talks with the BNP delegation here, Han spoke of “deep ties” between “friendly neighbours” and called for strengthening cooperation in areas such as jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, and advancing the China-Bangladesh comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, official media here reported.
He also expressed the ruling Communist Party of China’s (CPC) willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the BNP.
Alamgir, who is also the minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, called China a trustworthy friend and partner of Bangladesh.
The new government will adhere to the one-China principle and the tradition of friendship with Beijing, and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to elevate bilateral relations to a new level, he said.
Alamgir also said that the BNP will remain committed to enhancing friendship between the two parties and the two countries.
The visit of the BNP delegation is the first from Bangladesh since the Tarique Rahman-led government took over power with a landslide victory in February.
The BNP government’s policy towards China is being watched with interest in Beijing and the Indian subcontinent, after the 18-month-long interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus sought to move Bangladesh closer to China and Pakistan, pursuing anti-India policies, jeopardising close ties between Dhaka and Delhi after the Sheikh Hasina government’s fall.
During his high-profile visit to Beijing soon after assuming power, Yunus commented on India’s north-eastern states, saying their “landlocked” status offered huge possibilities for the Chinese economy. His comments drew sharp reactions from India.
Yunus’ tenure was also marked by attempts to normalise Dhaka’s ties with Islamabad, obscuring the long-drawn-out violent freedom struggle against Pakistan in which thousands of Bangladeshis were killed.
During his tenure, a trilateral mechanism involving Bangladesh, China and Pakistan was formed in a bid to scale up strategic ties between the three countries.
While the BNP delegation’s visit to Beijing was aimed at developing its ties with the CPC, there has been no official Bangladesh visit here since Rahman’s government took over.
The new Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman’s recent visit to India, his first abroad after assuming power, evoked considerable interest here as he sought to normalise Dhaka-Delhi ties.
He was expected to visit Beijing in the coming weeks.
Earlier, Bangladesh media reports said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong was due to visit Dhaka last month, but according to a report by the state-run Xinhua news agency, Sun was removed from the post.
There was no official explanation about his status. PTI KJV GRS GRS GRS
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