Online Desk :  Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said the upcoming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s China visit is important to expedite the Bangladesh’s development advancement.
“This China visit is certainly very important … our priority (during the visit) will be development,” he told reporters after inaugurating the digital library at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Wednesday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to pay a bilateral visit to China from on July 8-11. The foreign minister said the current government wants to move forward the country maintaining good relations to all following the doctrine of Bangladesh’s foreign policy – Friendship to all malice towards none – set by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Dr Hasan said China is the major development partner of Bangladesh while the country’s many iconic establishment including Padma Bridge, Bangabandhu Tunnel and Bangabandhu Convention Centre were built by either Chinese contractors or Chinese fund.

Responding to a question, the foreign minister said, India has never objected to Bangladesh’s relations with Beijing. Bangladesh, he said, shares its borders with India on three sides, so “We only can advance our country by maintaining good relegations with India”. The foreign minister also highlighted various features of his successful visit to Saudi Arabia where he led the Bangladesh delegation at the second political consultation between Dhaka and Riyadh. He said Dhaka and Riyadh decided to form a joint task force aimed at protecting the Bangladeshi job seekers to Saudi Arabia from fraud. The foreign minister said he urged Saudi Arabi to enhance its investment in Bangladesh’s special economic zones and to explore opportunities for Saudi Arabian funds to be deposited in Bangladesh’s offshore accounts. Earlier, the minister also unveiled the Foreign Service Academy Journal at the event.