Dhaka, Beijing happy over defence ties, focus on specialised training

Bangladesh and China expressed their satisfaction at the existing defence cooperation and discussed possibilities of regular staff level talks and specialised training programmes.

At the 12th Foreign Office Consultations held at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka on Saturday, the two sides agreed in principle to have dedicated dialogue on public security issues.

China offered its support to build capacity for addressing emerging challenges like online gambling and drug trafficking.

Both the countries also showed interest in contributing to the regional connectivity in South and South East Asia under the auspices of the Belt and Road Initiative of China.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladesh delegation while Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, led the Chinese delegation at the consultation.

Bangladesh thanked China for sharing meteorological satellite information during natural calamities like cyclone and flood.

They also discussed other multilateral and regional issues including the Rohingya crisis, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Chinese side iterated to facilitate the early, safe, sustainable and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas to Rakhine State from Bangladesh.

The vice minister mentioned that an early repatriation would be beneficial for Bangladesh, Myanmar and the whole region.

The Chinese side appreciated the initiatives of Bangladesh to arrange the ‘Go and See’ visit in Myanmar and ‘Come and Talk’ visit in Bangladesh by the respective delegations of Bangladesh and Myanmar to facilitate the repatriation of the first batch of the Pilot Project.

The foreign secretary thanked China for their cooperation and emphasised on Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to arrange continued voluntary and sustainable repatriation engaging the friendly countries, regional and international organisations.

Vice Minister Sun Weidong mentioned that he is visiting Bangladesh after ten years and is very much impressed to see Bangladesh’s tremendous development achievements carried out by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Both the delegations discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interests and cooperation in multilateral forums. The Chinese side reiterated its appreciation to Bangladesh for its continued support to One China Policy.