Mutual support of friendship

Virus aid, trade and investment are further cementing China-Bangladesh ties

China and Bangladesh enjoy a strong friendship. Both of them are developing countries with large populations and are natural partners in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. Under the guidance of the leaders of the two states, China-Bangladesh ties have reached a new historical height in recent years.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of China and Bangladesh have fully carried forward the traditional friendship of the two countries, helping each other and fighting against the pandemic side by side.

China and Bangladesh have helped each other tide over the difficulties during the challenging period. The state leaders of both sides keeping the big picture of bilateral relations in mind, led people from all walks of life to join efforts for the anti-pandemic cooperation.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping expressing her firm support for China's struggle against the virus and her readiness to offer assistance at her country's best capacity.

The government and social groups of Bangladesh were quick to donate a large number of masks, protective suits and disinfectants to China through the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh, and people throughout the country offered encouragement to China via videos posted online.

President Xi spoke highly of the support the two countries offered to each other during the anti-pandemic fight in a telephone conversation with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 20.

As soon as China achieved major strategic achievements in pandemic prevention and control, the Chinese government and people did not hesitate to repay Bangladesh by donating anti-pandemic supplies, sharing experience and providing on-site guidance.

The Chinese side has donated more than 3 million medical masks, 500,000 N95 masks, more than 100,000 protective suits and dozens of urgently needed high-flow respiratory humidification apparatus, as well as large quantity of testing kits to Bangladesh.

In April, the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh invited Zhang Wenhong, a well-known medical expert from China, to share treatment experience with Bangladeshi health officials and experts, creating a good start for China's anti-pandemic experience sharing.

An expert team was dispatched by the Chinese government in June to help the Bangladeshi government fight against the virus, which was a key fruit of the phone conversation between the two heads of state. It is also the only foreign medical expert team aiding Bangladesh so far.

The specialists submitted a formal report, giving tailored suggestions and instructions on pandemic control to the Bangladeshi government after abundant field surveys.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China and Bangladesh continue to seek common development in cooperation.

Over the past 45 years, China and Bangladesh have carried forward their traditional friendship, continuously deepened political mutual trust, promoted economic and trade cooperation, and enhanced military and people-to-people exchanges.

During President Xi's state visit to Bangladesh in October 2016, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and decided to elevate their ties to the level of a strategic partnership of cooperation, which consolidated the political guarantee and provided a new opportunity for win-win cooperation.

China has been Bangladesh's largest trading partner for years. In July, China began to offer zero-tariff treatment to 97 percent of Bangladesh's exports, following its commitment of removing tariffs for 97 percent of the products of the least developed countries, and Bangladesh has ushered in a new golden age in exporting to China and attracting foreign investors.

The two countries have also overcome the impact of the pandemic to advance their cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative framework, such as the Padma Bridge and a multi-lane road tunnel under the Karnaphuli River.

The first 660 megawatt unit 1 of the coal-fired Payra Power Plant has been completed and approved for operation. It supplies the urgently-needed electricity to Bangladesh's power grid. Bilateral cooperation in economic and trade and infrastructure construction has continued to benefit the two peoples.

China and Bangladesh will adhere to the common commitment of upholding multilateralism made by the heads of state, and contribute to world peace and stability in the post-pandemic era.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China formulated the country's 14th Five Year Plan (2021-25) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, which offers guidance for both sides to align their policies with each other in the new development stage.

In order to provide preferential policies to Belt and Road cooperation and inject higher added technological value into the cooperation between the two countries, China and Bangladesh will further deliberate on the signing of a free trade agreement and currency swap deal, and cooperate on 5G technology and high-speed rail projects.

As the only major economy to see positive growth this year, China has been keeping close contact with Bangladesh on the resumption of work and production for its economic recovery, as well as to help the global economy return to the growth track.

The two sides will expand their cooperation on pandemic control and COVID-19 vaccines developed by China. China will make the vaccines a public health product accessible and affordable to people in Bangladesh and other developing countries.

China will coordinate sustainable and green development and respond to the core concerns of Bangladesh and the international community on climate change.

Addressing at the Climate Ambition Summit recently, President Xi reiterated that China has made important contributions to adopting the Paris Agreement and has made active efforts toward implementing it. He announced that China would scale up its nationally determined contributions and adopt more vigorous policies and measures, aiming to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, which will surely benefit the people of Bangladesh and the world.

Although the two countries still face the tough challenge posed by the pandemic across the world, the governments of China and Bangladesh as well as the two peoples have the confidence and wisdom to align their development strategies and promote the Belt and Road construction through concerted efforts and close coordination.

China and Bangladesh are also confident and capable of continuing to enhance their traditional friendship, seek stable development under the complex situation and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The author is the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.