Beijing, Dhaka, Islamabad pursue cooperation: Envoy Yao

“We have already identified 12 areas for concrete cooperation including industry, trade, education, environment protection, water resources. There will be some follow up and we are working with Bangladesh and Pakistan to follow up and implement this consensus,” he told reporters after attending a seminar in the capital.

Ambassador Yao said the meeting, held recently in Kunming, was part of an initiative to have their cooperation to improve economic development and livelihoods of all there countries – Bangladesh, China and Pakistan.

“We are in a very critical moment. There are lots of things we can work together. I see this for the common interests of the three countries,” said the Chinese Ambassador.

He stressed that the principle of cooperation is to remain open, maintain transparency and ensure mutual benefits. “Our cooperation is based on mutual trust. It is open and transparent process. It does not target any third country. That is the message to convey,” said Ambassador Yao.

The Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) hosted the seminar on ‘China-Bangladesh Industrial and Supply Chain Cooperation’ where ‘Industry Reports’ by the CEAB was released.

Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, along with representatives from the concerned agencies and departments of the Bangladesh government and business leaders from both countries were present.

Earlier, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan identified several areas for deeper cooperation including infrastructure, connectivity, trade, investment, healthcare, agriculture, maritime affairs, ICT, disaster preparedness and climate change issues.

Bangladesh, China and Pakistan held the "informal trilateral meeting" on the sidelines of the 9th China-South Asia Exposition and the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation meeting in Kunming on June 19.

June 26, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain ruled out any new alliance among Bangladesh, China and Pakistan, and stressed that it was not done targeting Bangladesh’s neighbouring country – India.

“We are not forming any alliance. It was a meeting at the official level, not at the political level…. there was no element of formation of any alliance,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while responding to a question last month, reports UNB. 

Asked whether the meeting was aimed at making India cornered, Adviser Hossain said it is certainly not targeting a third-party. “I can assure you.”