Premier Zhu's Visit to Bangladesh, India Aims to Advocate Peace: FM Spokesman

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 09, 2002

Premier Zhu's Visit to Bangladesh, India Aims to Advocate Peace: FM Spokesman

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will pay an official visit to the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of India from January 11 to 18 at the invitation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said Tuesday at a regular briefing.

Bangladesh FM: Chinese Premier's Visit to Boost Relations

Bangladesh Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan Tuesday said the existing relations of Bangladesh with China will get a new boost during Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's upcoming visit to his country.

"We are looking forward eagerly for the visit of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. The present relation of the two countries is very friendly. People of Bangladesh believe the existing relation with China will reach a new height during Zhu Rongji's visit," the foreign minister told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the eve of Zhu Rongji's three-day visit to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh places great importance to Zhu's visit

Premier Zhu Rongji is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on a three-day official visit to Bangladesh on January 11 at the invitation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

Zhu's trip will be the first official visit by a head of government to Bangladesh since four-party alliance government of the country took office on October 10 last year and the second visit by a Chinese premier to Bangladesh after 1989.

"Naturally, Bangladesh places great importance to this visit, particularly in view of the fact that Bangladesh and China have a very friendly relations," Khan said.

The foreign minister said the exchange of visits at the highest level suggest the level of relations that exist between the two Asian nations.

New cooperation hoped

Khan hoped that the official talks between Khaleda Zia and Zhu Rongji would identify new areas of cooperation and further strengthen the existing areas of cooperation.

"We expect to work together in all matters of mutual interest in a more concrete manner and in a very positive way in future. We believe that the special relations that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has with the people in China contributes to building stronger relations between our two friendly countries."

Bangladesh FM praised China's role in world peace-keeping

The Bangladesh foreign minister held that China has always been very pragmatic in its policies towards maintaining peace and stability in the world.

"It has played its due role as a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations and as a member of the UN bodies in trying to ensure that this world is a safer and more peaceful place to live in," Khan said, adding that " China has maintained a balanced approach towards the tensions in South Asia.

Like Bangladesh, it has rightly urged both Pakistan and India to use maximum restraint in their relations with each other.

Bangladesh expects benefits from China's WTO entry

Commenting on China's entry into the global trading body the World Trade Organization (WTO), Morshed Khan said it would have a "huge impact" on globalization of trade. "We expect China to play a very constructive role within the WTO so that the interest of developing countries, especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is protected," Khan said.

He also hoped that China, like many other WTO members would provide special tariff and zero-tariff facilities to Bangladesh as a LDC.

Zhu to Persuade India and Pakistan to Achieve Peace

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will do his best to persuade India and Pakistan to achieve peace through dialogue and consultation during his forthcoming visit to India, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

Tension between India and Pakistan has been mounting since a deadly December 13 attack on the New Delhi parliament, which India blames on Islamic militant groups with links to Pakistan.

The two South Asian countries have been building up forces along their common border and exchanging fire in the hotly disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

China is deeply worried about the clashes between India and Pakistan, and as a neighbor and friend of the two countries, China is most concerned about the development of the situation there.

China hopes that both parties will exercise restraint to avoid the escalation of their already tense relations, and that they will solve problems through dialogue and consultation and safeguard regional peace and stability, he said.

China and Bangladesh

1) Political Relations

The People's Republic of China and the People's Republic of Bangladesh officially established diplomatic relations on October 4, 1975.

2) Economic and Trade

For recent years the economic and trade ties between China and Bangladesh have considerably developed with gradual expansion in cooperation fields.

3) Cooperation in Culture and Education

In November 1979, the Chinese and Bangladesh governments signed the Agreement of Cooperation on Culture, after which an implementation program for cultural exchanges is signed every three years.

China and Bangladesh started to exchange students since 1976. There were 38 Bangladesh students in China in 1998.

4) Cooperation in Science and Technology

China and Bangladesh signed the Agreement of Cooperation on Science and Technology in March 1978 and the Agreement was renewed in 1990.

For more information, please visit Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chinese Premier on Pakistan-India Tension

It is in the fundamental interests of both Pakistan and India that the two countries keep maximum restraint and safeguard peace and stability in the south Asian region, said Premier Zhu Rongji Thursday evening in a meeting with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

It is also the common expectation of the international community that they handle their ties in such a way, Zhu said.

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