'China role model for us to follow,' says Bangladesh gov't minister

China's development is impressive and has set a role model for the world to follow, Bangladesh Planning Minister MA Mannan said.

The minister made the remarks on Monday while speaking as the chief guest at a webinar marking the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The minister was joined by dozens of guests in the webinar, organized by the Association of Bangladesh-China Alumni (ABCA).

He thanked the Chinese government for allowing Bangladesh exports to China Duty-Free Quota Free access for 97 percent of its tariff lines from July 1, 2020, adding that he looked forward to further strengthening the Bangladesh-China relationship.

Meanwhile, the minister refuted the claim that Bangladesh is falling into a Chinese "debt trap," saying China's loans only comprise a small fraction of Bangladesh's total global debt.

"If we're in trap how our foreign exchange reserves are booming?" he said.

"We think and we borrow. That's our decision. We borrow from friends for our developments," he added.