PM places 5-point proposal to make Indo-Pacific initiative successful

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday placed a five-point proposal, including creation of an environment of peace and fair competition by all countries staying away from rivalries, to make any Indo-Pacific initiative a success.

"Over the five-decade of my journey in politics tells me that any initiative in Indo-Pacific should include creation of an environment of peace-harmony-stability of all countries; focusing on entire aspects of sustainable development; engaging countries based on mutual trust and mutual respect for mutual benefit; focusing on wealth creation for all, development must be inclusive; and creating fair competition not rivalries," she said.

The prime minister made the proposals while addressing a panel discussion on 'Cooperation in the Pacific Rim' on the three-day World Economic Forum's (WEF) 'Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2019' at Dalian International Conference Centre at Dalian city of China’s Liaoning province.

The three-day WEF annual meeting, also known as WEF Summer Davos, is underway from 1 July with the theme of 'Leadership 4.0 - Succeeding in a New Era of Globalisation'.

The prime minister said, "We sometimes look just in terms of the capacity of a few large economies or their needs. But, we must address the key concerns of smaller communities or relatively weaker economies for our collective journey and sustainable world."

She said it is widely recognised that the Indo-Pacific region is the most dynamic in the world, while the Bay of Bengal, home to 1.5 billion people, is equally a rich and growing region.

"People living around our Bay of Bengal have so much potential to develop and grow. There's a tendency to look at Indo-Pacific in respect of trade or security issues," she added.

Talking about bilateral issues, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh amicably delimited its maritime boundary with Myanmar and India.

"And now, Bangladesh and India are joining hands to uniquely develop our trans-boundary river navigation."

"I always believe that in spite of differences in size and capacity compared to India, Bangladesh can only secure her peace and security through sustainable development and connectivity," she said.

Noting that it is true that geopolitics is always important, she said, "Yes, geopolitics will always be part of life. But we've to carefully appreciate and balance issues. We cannot trade off long-term interests for short-term gains. A cooperative yet competitive environment among all countries is the insurance of our shared prosperity."

Delegates, including heads of state and government, business, civil society and academia, from more than 100 countries across the world joined the WEF meeting being held in Dalian port city which is a trading and financial centre in Northeastern Asia and known as the Hong Kong of Northern China.