Newly appointed Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang makes made a surprise stop in Bangladesh where he meets his counterpart Abul Kalam Abdul Momen at an airport in Dhaka. Twitter/@BDMOFA.
Dhaka: Newly appointed Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, who was on his eight-day official tour to Africa, made a surprise stop in Bangladesh where he met his counterpart Abul Kalam Abdul Momen at an airport in Dhaka.
In a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China said, “Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a brief meeting with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen at an airport in Dhaka during a technical stopover on his way to visit Africa.”
“The two sides spoke highly of the friendship between China and Bangladesh, and agreed to strengthen exchanges in the new year and jointly work for new progress in bilateral relations,” the statement added.
According to Bangladeshi media report, Momen received his Chinese counterpart upon his arrival at around 1:58 am. Both the leaders spoke for less than an hour, with Qin departing at around 2:50 am. The duration of the visit suggests urgency in another way as the meeting at the airport came in middle of the night.
China did not reveal much about the meeting but talking to media, Momen said during the meeting, he raised the widening trade gap with Beijing.
As per reports, every year, Bangladesh imports around $13 billion worth of goods from China, while its exports to Beijing remain below $800 million.
Over $12 billion deficit is of a major concern for Bangladesh considering the shaky condition of its foreign exchange reserves amid the global economic turmoil sparked by the Ukraine war.
China’s unfulfilled promises to Bangladesh
The Bangladeshi minister also highlighted about China’s unfulfilled promises during his meeting with Qin. He noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Dhaka visit in 2016 made several investment pledges that have not materialised yet.
Momen also stressed on a previous agreement to remove duties and quotas on 98 per cent of Bangladeshi goods has not been implemented.
Rohingya issue
Bangladesh, which is one of India’s neighbouring nation, has for long been seeking a resolution to the Rohingya refugee crisis. As per reports, since 2017, more than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are currently living in camps near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. The Rohingyas moved to Bangladesh after Myanmar’s military launched a genocidal campaign against them.
During the meeting, Momen sought “special measures” from China to resolve Rohingya issue in their country. Notably, China is one of the foreign governments closest to the new military junta.
According to a report by Dhaka Tribune, Memon told Qin: “The Bangladesh Foreign Minister sought special measures from the Chinese side so that the problem could be resolved as soon as possible.”
Momen, in return, offered China reassurances about Bangladesh’s neutral stance in the geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington.
“We maintain a balanced foreign policy. This is our principle,” the Bangladeshi minister told reporters, adding that he assured Qin that Bangladesh will “extend our support to you from time to time.”
Notably, Bangladesh’s relationship with the US has been fraught since December 2021 after the Washington declared sanctions on Dhaka’s security force – Rapid Action Battalion- over alleged human rights violations.
Momen also said, “We believe in one-China principle. We maintain a balanced foreign policy. This is our principle. We will extend our support (to China) time to time.”
Qin made a stopover in Dhaka while he was on his scheduled visit to Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin, Egypt, the African Union Headquarters and the League of Arab States Headquarters. Notably, for 32 consecutive years, China has made of a point of sending its foreign minister to Africa for the first diplomatic trip of the new year.
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