On Tuesday, Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, urged China to assist in the forced return of the Rohingya people to their ancestral home in Myanmar.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud cited her as saying, “Help in sending the Rohingya back to Myanmar,” during a media briefing on the second day of her travel to China.
The prime minister spoke during an early meeting between the prime minister of Bangladesh and a high-level Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a significant faction of the Chinese Communist Party headed by its Chairman Wang Huning. The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People.
Many regional and bilateral issues were extensively and prominently discussed during the meeting, including the Rohingya crisis, closing the trade gap between Bangladesh and China, meaningfully celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations, steps to improve bilateral relations, and communication between the Chinese Communist Party and the Bangladesh Awami League.
The prime minister of Bangladesh stated that although the Rohingyas sought refuge more than six and a half years ago, no steps had been taken to return them to Myanmar.
Hasan stated, “This matter was addressed (during the meeting) with the utmost importance.”
According to the CPPCC chairman, they will talk about the issue with Myanmar and act as a mediator between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Wang Hunning declared, “We will make every effort to start the Rohingya repatriation process by having talks with Myanmar.”
Among those present at the briefing were Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) chief editor and managing director Abul Kalam Azad, finance minister A H Mahmood Ali, and press secretary for the prime minister, M Nayeemul Islam Khan.
Sheikh Hasina has emphasized how important it is to close the trade deficit between China and Bangladesh.
According to the prime minister, Bangladesh imports a significant amount of commodities from China, but its export list is quite tiny.
She said that in order to close the trade deficit, China could boost its purchases from Bangladesh.
The prime minister added that Bangladesh can supply China with mango, vegetables, leather goods, medicines, and jute items.
Although the leaders of the CPPCC promised to take action to import high-quality commodities from Bangladesh.
According to Hasan, they also went over the two nations’ current relationship in great detail and expressed hopes for further improvement.
In this context, the prime minister stated that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, took the initiative to bring about the deepening of relations between Bangladesh and China. She mentioned that Bangabandhu had visited China six times and in 1952 and 1957.
The Padma Bride, the Bangabandhu Tunnel, and the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) are just a few of the famous projects for which the prime minister expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for their assistance.
During the meeting, improving ties between the Chinese Communist Party and the Bangladesh Awami League was also discussed.
The president of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, announced that her organization will dispatch a high-ranking delegation to China.
She also invited the Chinese Communist Party leaders to visit Bangladesh.
