Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping met Friday with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia, pledging to strengthen party-to-party exchanges between the two countries. [Special coverage]
The Chinese side, Xi stressed, is ready to strengthen exchanges of experiences on party building with major Bangladeshi parties including the BNP, so as to increase mutual understanding.
He also said that, thanks to the joint efforts of the successive governments of the two countries and the two peoples, China-Bangladesh relations have maintained the momentum of fast development.
The Chinese side attaches great importance to relations with Bangladesh, and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the South Asian country and assist Bangladesh in advancing industrialization, enhancing infrastructure construction and improving people's livelihood, he said.
Xi called on the two sides to expand people-to-people exchanges so as to pass on the friendship to the next generations and open up a broad prospect for the development of China-Bangladesh relations.
The Chinese president said he appreciates that the BNP has maintained a friendly policy towards China for years and actively promoted the development of China-Bangladesh relations.
For her part, Zia said the BNP is ready to strengthen communication with the Communist Party of China.
China has been one of the closest friends and partners of Bangladesh, she said, adding that she is pleased to see that the two countries have carried out effective cooperation in such areas as energy and infrastructure construction.
Zia also spoke highly of the Xi-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
The BNP, she said, supports Bangladesh in enhancing cooperation with China in the fields of trade and economy, investment and connectivity construction within the frameworks of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
Xi arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day for a state visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to this South Asian nation in 30 years.
