Bangladesh reiterates its support for 'One China' policy

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh on Tuesday reiterated its firm support for the "One China" policy when new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang made a brief stopover in the capital Dhaka before his year's first diplomatic visit to five African countries.

Qin Gang, who assumed office as China's top diplomat last month, was on his way to Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin, Egypt, and the headquarters of the African Union and Arab League, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Chinese foreign minister stopped in Dhaka early Tuesday for an hour-long meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

After paying a courtesy call to the Chinese minister, Momen reiterated Dhaka's position on the "One China" principle.

"We believe in the One China principle. This is the Bangladesh government's guiding principle and foreign policy. We pursue a balanced foreign policy. So, we must maintain a friendship with everyone," he told reporters after the meeting.

The two countries' top diplomats also discussed the Rohingya issue, as well as Bangladesh's huge trade deficit with China.

“We export goods of about $800 million to China yearly while we import goods worth $13 billion from China. It is one-sided. So, I requested the Chinese foreign minister to mitigate the business gap,” Momen explained.

“Bangladeshi products were supposed to be given duty-free access to the Chinese market. But even after a long time, Bangladeshi businessmen are not getting that benefit,” he said.

During the last visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh, several agreements, including one on financial assistance, were signed. However, none of these agreements have yet been implemented.

“We discussed the possible implementation of those agreements,” Momen said, praising China's cooperation as a development partner in various Bangladeshi development activities, including the megaproject Padma Bridge.

He also expressed gratitude to Beijing for its assistance to Dhaka during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier on Monday, a US delegation led by Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, senior director for South Asia at the National Security Council, met with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen in Dhaka.

They discussed expanding defense cooperation and maritime security.

The US has been eager to sign two defense treaties with Bangladesh in order to modernize its military by 2030, according to the local newspaper The Daily Star.

The agreements are the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) and the Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which officials described as "foundational agreements" meant to strengthen the two countries defense relationship.