00:00Well, the retired three-star general, Abdul Havis, served as chief advisor to Muhammad Yunus,
00:05the former head of Bangladesh's interim government.
00:09This is Prime Minister Tariq Rahman's first overseas visit that started with Malaysia,
00:15followed by the visit to China that is concluding today on the 26th of June.
00:20We have to underline one thing, that this visit is coming at a time when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
00:28has returned to power with a landslide victory and formed a government in February this year.
00:34And from that point of view, for this government and for Prime Minister Tariq Rahman,
00:40this is extremely significant, extremely important because the new Prime Minister, Tariq Rahman,
00:46has to demonstrate, he has to show that he can deliver on the promises he made to the people
00:53before the general election, before his victory and before becoming the Prime Minister.
00:57And I would say one thing, that this visit has four main objectives.
01:01Firstly, boosting investment.
01:03Secondly, boosting trade.
01:06Third is seeking China's support in Bangladesh's development, infrastructure development.
01:11And last but not the least is, of course, strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
01:18So I would say that this visit essentially aims at deepening investment cooperation
01:24and bring more Chinese investment in Bangladesh.
01:27From that point of view, this is an extremely significant visit for Prime Minister Tariq Rahman.
01:32His government is new, but the relationship between Bangladesh and China goes back 51 years.
01:39We're celebrating 51 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
01:43How would you now assess that evolution of the relationship, how it's developed from those early years
01:51to today's comprehensive, strategic, cooperative partnership?
01:57I would say that the evolution of the relationship between China and Bangladesh has been truly phenomenal.
02:05In one word, this is phenomenal.
02:07This is amazing.
02:07And if we look at point by point, firstly, this relationship is based on mutual respect for each other.
02:16This is also based on shared interest between the two countries.
02:20And, of course, both the countries, they believe in non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
02:27We have seen over time that China has always, has always respected Bangladesh's independence and sovereignty.
02:34And it has supported Dhaka's pursuit of an independent foreign policy.
02:40You have seen that China has evolved as the most reliable, most dependable partner in Bangladesh's economic
02:49and, of course, social development.
02:51China has been the largest trading partner for 16 straight years, from 2010 to 2025.
02:58And you have to note another thing.
03:02China is the second largest FDI source for Bangladesh.
03:06And I was surprised to see that approximately 1,200 Chinese farms, entrepreneurs, enterprises, companies have invested in energy,
03:16in transport, in textiles, in ICT, creating more than 100,000 jobs.
03:21And we have also seen that China has collaborated and invested in building big infrastructures.
03:29For example, big bridges, tunnels, expressways, roads and railways.
03:34So I would say that over time, this relationship has evolved as extremely beneficial and useful for both the countries.
03:41Peace.
03:42Peace.
03:42Peace.
03:42Peace.
03:42Peace.
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