China expressed its interest to assist Bangladesh in managing monsoon flooding through river dredging, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
It said the Chinese ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen made the offer upon inviting foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen to his office.
According to the statement, the envoy made the offer as the issue of the prevailing monsoon and its impacts on possible flooding situations and occurrences of flash floods in Bangladesh came up in their discussion.
"The Chinese envoy offered to extend assistance for dredging the relevant rivers in Bangladesh for improving the capacity of the rivers to better manage the flooding," it read.
Momen appreciated Beijing's offer and reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to further enhancing the 'South-South Cooperation' for the greater collective benefit of the global South.
"He (Momen) observed that a developing country like Bangladesh could apply a lot of practical, simple and viable Chinese innovations for the benefit of the common people," the statement said.
The ministry also pointed out Bangladesh's innovative approaches like that of the community clinics introduced by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which earned global laudation.
The envoy reviewed the updates of different China-supported developmental projects in Bangladesh.
The foreign minister thanked China as a development partner and encouraged greater Chinese investment in Bangladesh to facilitate more employment and the synthesis of technology and skills.
"He (simultaneously) also stressed the initiatives for reducing the huge trade imbalance between the two countries," the statement said.
The foreign minister reviewed the efforts of facilitating the desired repatriation of the Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds, to their homeland in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
They also reviewed the ongoing bilateral cooperation in various multilateral and international forums.
The envoy extended an invitation to the foreign minister to various events in China.
