Newly appointed Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Monday said Rohingyas need to be returned to their homeland in Myanmar while Beijing hoped that the repatriation of the displaced people would start at an early date.
He made the remarks while paid a call on foreign minister AK Abdul Momen at the foreign ministry, a foreign ministry’s press release said.
Foreign minister expressed hope of having China’s continuous support in repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
During the meeting, the minister and the envoy cordially exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation of mutual interests, including trade and investment, infrastructure development, connectivity and south-south cooperation.
Congratulating the new ambassador, the foreign minister appreciated China’s assistance in several mega projects in Bangladesh and look forward to the speedy approval and implementation of the existing and pipelined projects.
He also thanked the government of China for enhancing duty free quota free (DFQF) market access from 97 per cent to 98 per cent products from Bangladesh into Chinese market. He hoped that this facility would come into force with necessary gazette notification within a short period of time.
The foreign minister acknowledged the invaluable support that China had extended to Bangladesh to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also thanked China for being the largest bilateral trade partner of Bangladesh and hoped that China will invest more in Bangladesh in the coming years.
Ambassador Yao expressed his satisfaction over the ongoing development projects in Bangladesh with Chinese support which include Padma bridge rail link, Bangabandhu Tunnel under Karnaphuli river, Mongla port upgrading and extension of Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.
He also informed that China will take part in the upcoming Bangladesh Business Summit to be held in Dhaka between 11 and 13 March, 2023.
Momen expressed hope that bilateral relations between the two countries would reach new heights during the tenure of the new ambassador.