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Amid India-Bangladesh diplomatic row, China's Xi vows deeper ties with Dhaka
Xi told Yunus on Friday that Beijing was “willing to work with Bangladesh to push bilateral cooperation to a new level.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday vowed to strengthen bilateral relations with Bangladesh as Dhaka continues to navigate rising frosty ties with neighbouring India. This reflects the deepening geopolitical shifts in South Asia.
Xi told Yunus on Friday that Beijing was "willing to work with Bangladesh to push bilateral cooperation to a new level," Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
"China insists on remaining a good neighbour, good friend and good partner to Bangladesh, based on mutual trust," Xi said, according to CCTV.
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According to AFP, the Chinese leader reportedly said Beijing and Dhaka should "firmly support each other" on core interests and backed Bangladesh on issues including safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
During their meeting, both leaders discussed several avenues for cooperation, including economic and technical assistance, as well as potential agreements on cultural, sports, and media exchanges.
Talks are also expected to touch on Bangladesh's immense population of Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled a violent military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.
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Bangladesh’s newly appointed president, Muhammad Yunus, who assumed office in August after the ouster of ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, met with Xi in Beijing at a time when Bangladesh is witnessing turbulent ties with India.
India-Bangladesh relations took a hit after Yunus's rise to power, which came after a turbulent period marked by widespread protests and unrest, leading to Hasina’s departure to India.
Hasina's ousting led to a significant shift in Dhaka’s foreign policy, and Yunus chose to embark on his first state visit to China, India’s key regional rival.
Yunus's China meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Friday, official media reported.
Yunus, on a four-day visit to China, took part in the country's Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in Hainan after his arrival there on Wednesday.
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He arrived in Beijing on Thursday and was received at the airport by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.
Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate, is set to return home on Saturday after holding several other high-level discussions with Chinese officials.
Bangladesh proposes Chinese 'Friendship Hospital'
In light of the frosty ties with India, Yunus's administration has also discussed the possibility of a Chinese-run "Friendship Hospital" in Bangladesh.
Dhaka's top foreign ministry bureaucrat said this week that talks in Beijing would touch on the establishment of a Chinese "Friendship Hospital" in Bangladesh.
Senior figures in the Indian and Bangladeshi governments have traded barbs ahead of Yunus's sojourn to Beijing.
Those tensions have almost fully halted travel by Bangladeshis to India for medical tourism, thousands of whom crossed the border each year to seek care in their larger neighbour.
