Staff Reporter:BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that China wants to see Bangladesh as a stable democratic country, as the bilateral relationship with the development partner is getting deeper nowadays.
Earlier in the day, BNP leaders led by Fakhrul held a meeting with the Chinese visiting delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Dhaka around 6:30 pm on Saturday.
The CPC delegation was headed by Peng Xiubin, director general of the Southeast and South Asian affairs bureau under the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.
Other members included the Bureau for Southeast and South Asian Affairs deputy director Chen Xuanbo, third secretary Chen Yongpei, and an attaché from the bureau Zhang Guyu.
The Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen also joined the meeting, accompanied by the political section director Zhang Jing and the political section attaché of the embassy, Liu Hongru.
‘Today, our delegation had a very good discussion with the secretary general of the BNP. We discussed cooperation between our two parties, focusing on how the Communist Party of China and the BNP can work together to enhance our relationship over the next 50 years,’ Following the meeting, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen told reporters.
The ambassador said that the Chinese side has been briefed by BNP leaders about their views on the upcoming national elections and that China did not offer any suggestions regarding the election.
‘It is entirely your business and will be decided by the people of Bangladesh,’ he said.
Wen said that the engagement was part of China’s broader mission to build relationships with all major political parties in Bangladesh, not just the BNP.
Speaking to reporters, Fakhrul said the meeting was between two political parties with a long-standing relationship and BNP had briefed the Chinese delegation on upcoming elections and the current situation in Bangladesh.
‘As you know, China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. They want to see a strong, prosperous Bangladesh with a democratic environment,’ he said.
Fakhrul said that BNP used to meet the Chinese Communist Party almost every year, but for the past 15 years, there had been no meetings because the fascist government had not allowed it.
‘Now, we have revived this relationship. Our ties with the Chinese Communist Party are growing stronger and will continue to deepen in the future,’ the BNP leader said.
Alongside Mirza Fakhrul, the BNP delegation included standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, chairperson’s advisory council member Ismail Zabiullah, legal affairs secretary Kaiser Kamal, chairperson’s foreign affairs advisory committee member Humayun Kabir, media cell member Mahmuda Habiba, and private secretary to the chairperson ABM Abdus Sattar.
