Yunus to fly for Beijing today
Interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is going to discuss cooperation in water management, healthcare and Rohingya repatriation besides economic聽and military cooperation in his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping聽in Beijing during his visit to China.
The chief adviser is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Beijing today on a four-day visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart marking the 50 years of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.聽
鈥楾he visit itself gives a message as this is the first bilateral visit of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to any country after the formation of the interim government,鈥� foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin told a press conference at the foreign ministry in the capital聽 Dhaka on Tuesday.
The briefing was arranged on the chief adviser鈥檚 visit to China and his participation in the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok of Thailand next week.
Jashim said that the talks between the two leaders would be focused on economic cooperation, water management and ways to resolve Rohingya crisis as there had been no progress in the repatriation of the forcibly displaced people, now more than 12 lakh, to their homeland Myanmar since the 2017 exodus.
The secretary said that Bangladesh was getting support from China in its efforts with Myanmar in sending back the Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh camps.
Responding to a question, he said that the Teesta management project might be discussed under the water management framework between the two countries in the bilateral meeting scheduled for March 28 at the Great Wall in Beijing.
He said that the talks between the two leaders would not be agenda driven, rather a number of deals and memorandums of understanding were expected to be signed during the visit.
The memos are related to economic and technical assistance, support for human resource development, cooperation in disaster mitigation, establishment of a Chinese book centre, translation and publication of Chinese classical literature and collaboration in sports sector and cooperation between the state media agencies, according to officials.
Responding to a question, Jashim said, 鈥楳ilitary cooperation with China will also be discussed during the visit. We consider China as an important friend and China does the same.鈥�
He, however, said that increased cooperation with China in the health sector would also be discussed as there was a plan to establish a specialised hospital in Bangladesh with the support of China.
鈥楩our specialised hospitals have been designated in Kunming for Bangladeshis. China also plans to establish a specialised hospital in Bangladesh,鈥� the secretary added.
On March 27, the chief adviser is scheduled to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Conference in Hainan Province, where he will deliver a speech at the conference鈥檚 opening plenary session and may meet China鈥檚 executive vice-premier Ding Xuexiang.
Peking University will confer an honorary doctorate on Yunus on March 29, where he will also deliver a speech.
The chief adviser is expected to return home on the same day.
Later, Yunus would leave Dhaka for Bangkok on April 3 to attend the 6th summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
Asked whether there was any confirmation about Yunus鈥� meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, the foreign secretary said that Dhaka was ready for the bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit on April 4.
鈥榃e are ready for the talks [on the sidelines] on our part. We will be waiting,鈥� Jashim told reporters at the press conference.
He said that Bangladesh was giving much importance to the meeting as Dhaka believes that such a meeting would help take forward the relations between the two neighbours in the current situation.
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar reportedly told a meeting in New Delhi on Saturday that India was considering Bangladesh鈥檚 request for a meeting between Yunus and Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit.