Staff Reporter:
Several agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s upcoming visit to China, where discussions are also likely to cover military cooperation and the Teesta issue alongside economic collaboration.
“A number of MoUs are likely to be signed during the visit,” Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin said yesterday at a curtain-raiser media briefing at the foreign ministry in Dhaka, where he outlined the Chief Adviser’s forthcoming visits to China and Thailand.
The MoUs will encompass economic and technical assistance, support for human resource development, cooperation in disaster mitigation, the establishment of a Chinese book center, translation and publica-tion of Chinese classical literature, collaboration in the sports sector, and cooperation between the state news agencies of the two countries.
Responding to a question, the foreign secretary said, “Discussions on military cooperation with China will take place. We consider China an important friend, and China views us similarly.”
He further mentioned that Dr. Yunus’s bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping would not be agenda-driven but noted that the Teesta issue might come up under the river management framework.
Regarding the Rohingya crisis, the foreign secretary said Bangladesh would seek China’s perspective on Myanmar during the visit.
In response to another query, Jashim Uddin highlighted increased cooperation with China in the health sector.
“Four specialized hospitals have been set up in Kunming for Bangladeshis. China also plans to establish a specialized hospital in Bangladesh,” he added.
Chief Adviser Professor Yunus is scheduled to leave for China today (March 26) to attend the Boao Fo-rum for Asia Conference in Hainan Province.
On March 27, he will deliver a speech at the conference’s opening plenary session and may meet with China’s Executive Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.
On March 28, the Chief Adviser is set to meet President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. After the bilateral meeting, the MoUs will be signed between the two countries.
He is also likely to visit a high-tech enterprise under Huawei and give an interview with a leading Chi-nese media outlet.
Peking University will confer an honorary doctorate on Dr. Yunus on March 29, where he will also de-liver a speech.
The chief adviser is expected to return home the same day.
The press conference was attended by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director Generals Abdul Motaleb Sarkar, Mohammad Nure Alam, and Mohammad Rafiqul Alam.
