Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
Highlights
- Bangladesh seeks cooperation from China to send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar
- China pledges to cooperate to resolve Rohingya crisis
Bangladesh on Rohingya: Bangladesh during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi requested him to cooperate in the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. At the same time, Yi has promised better trade ties, investments and support for infrastructure development in the South Asian nation. China used its influence in Myanmar for a November 2017 agreement that deals with the deportation of some 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees who left the country because of persecution in Myanmar in August 2017. Despite repeated attempts to deport them, refugees have refused to return, citing danger in Myanmar. They claim that the situation has become more serious after the military coup in Myanmar. Bangladesh’s junior minister for foreign affairs Shaharyar Alam said they discussed bilateral and global issues before Yi left here on Sunday. Yi arrived in Dhaka on Saturday and met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister A. Of. Abdul Momen met.
Promise to end Rohingya crisis
The junior minister said China has promised to continue to cooperate to resolve the Rohingya crisis. He quoted Wang as saying that Myanmar’s internal challenges are troubling other countries. Alam said, “Our foreign minister emphasized that there is a need for China’s cooperation. China has taken steps to resolve the Rohingya issue and now we need to come out of this situation completely.” Bangladesh has strong ties with China, which is a major trading partner for most of its raw materials. However, maintaining close ties with China is challenging for Bangladesh as it also has to balance its diplomatic and trade ties with China’s main rivals India and the US.
More than 500 Chinese troops active in Bangladesh
More than 500 Chinese troops are active in Bangladesh. China is involved in all major infrastructure projects in the country and has also helped build the largest bridge over the Padma River at a cost of $3.6 billion. Bangladesh has also issued a statement in support of the ‘One China’ principle amid tensions in China and Taiwan. After Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the election in 2008, Taiwan’s trade representative office in Dhaka was closed at a request by China, and since then China has increased its involvement in Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s textile industry, from whose exports more than 80 percent of foreign exchange is earned, is heavily dependent on China for the raw materials needed for its smooth functioning.
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