Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Bangladesh, the first by a Chinese head of state in 30 years, will lift bilateral ties to a new height, Bangladeshi Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu has said.[Special coverage]
"This upcoming visit marks the strong bondage between the two nations as well as paving the way for future growth of our ties," said Inu in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
He said the relations and engagements between China and Bangladesh are enormous.
"Our two nations support each other on the principles of peace, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Inu, who is also president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, a partner of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling coalition.
The two countries have also been upholding the principles of mutual trust and respect, mutual interests, and equitable sharing of mutual benefits, he added.
The minister spoke highly of Xi's Belt and Road Initiative.
"I see His Excellency President Xi Jinping's initiative of 'Belt and Road' as the creation of an economic land belt that includes countries on the original Silk Road through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East and Europe, as well as a maritime road that links China's port facilities with the African coast, pushing up through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean."
He expressed confidence that the Belt and Road Initiative will improve trade and relations among the countries involved.
Inu showed great interest in the development of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor.
"We work closely for developing a quadrilateral economic space between Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar," he said.
"Definitely, coordinated efforts of Bangladesh and China on local and international development issues of mutual interest will result in great outcome."
The BCIM Economic Corridor, formally endorsed by the four nations in 2013, will connect an estimated 440 million people in China's Yunnan Province, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bihar in northern India.
Over the past eight years, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in economic growth, women's advancement and empowerment, education and health, and other areas of human development, the minister said.
To keep the development on track, Bangladesh looks forward to Chinese cooperation in such sectors as finance and investment, technology, management, defense, agriculture, industry and media, he said.
As information minister, Inu called for bilateral media cooperation.
"China, as a big country, has a very wide and modern media network. Media in Bangladesh has seen a landmark rise under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."
Therefore, cooperation with China in the sector will be extremely significant, he said.
"Infrastructure building and ICT (information and communication technology) adoption are the two most prominent sectors where we seek Chinese cooperation in media," he noted.
With the help of China, five new television divisional headquarters are under construction in Bangladesh and new TV stations are to be built, Inu said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Cambodia and Bangladesh, and attend the 8th BRICS summit in India from Oct.13 to 17. (Updated)
