Geopolitics to get importance during Chinese foreign minister’s Dhaka visit

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is likely to arrive in Dhaka in the first week of August to hold discussions with Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on the Russia-Ukraine war and other geopolitical issues.

A diplomatic source said that Beijing had initially proposed 5 and 6 August as dates for the Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Bangladesh. But Bangladesh’s foreign minister is scheduled to be in Cambodia on those days to take part in a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

On Thursday, the Chinese ambassador to Dhaka Li Jiming had a meeting with several foreign ministry officials about the visit of the Chinese foreign minister. They spoke about preparations to hold the visit on 6-8 August.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi last visited Dhaka in November 2017. Diplomatic sources say, along with discussing about strategic cooperation between the countries, Beijing is interested to discuss about political and economic crises.

Moreover, during the visit the progress of the 27 agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the countries will also be brought up. The issue of Rohingya repatriation through China’s mediation could also be discussed.

Chinese president Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Development Initiative (GDI) could potentially be discussed during the visit.

XI Jinping announced the GSI initiative last April based on the principle of ‘indivisible security’ worldwide. Analysts say, it’s part of China’s attempt to create an image of a ‘friendly superpower’. The United Nations (UN) views GSI as a counter-initiative to its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Diplomatic sources say, US economic initiative Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) could also be an important topic of discussion during the Chinese foreign minister’s visit. China has always expressed its disapproval of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) and Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad.