Honorable Dr. Dipu Moni, MP, Minister of Education,
Mr. Mohammad Hossain, Director General, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources,
Mr. Md. Anwar Hossain, Additional Secretary and Wing Chief of ERD,
Dr. Khandoker Azizul Islam, Executive Member (Additional Secretary) of BIDA,
Mr. Toufique Hasan, Wing Chief of Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Mr. Mosud Mannan, Secretary of FBCCI,
Mr. Md. Shahidullah Azim, Vice President of BGMEA,
Distinguished guests and friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening!

Welcome to "The Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh" Report Launch. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, I would like to thank everybody here for your firm and staunch support on China-Bangladesh cooperation.

Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping of China in 2013. In fact, the history of the Belt and Road can be traced back to more than 2000 years ago. Our ancestors opened up the land Silk Road connecting Asia, Europe and Africa and the Maritime Silk Road connecting the East and the West. The core spirit of the ancient Silk Road is peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, learning from each other and mutual benefit. This spirit is a vivid image of China's fine traditional culture, and it is also the core essence of today’s Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, the Belt and Road Initiative is rooted in history and oriented towards the future, originating in China, opportunities and achievements belong to the world.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, it has attracted the participation of more than three-quarters of countries and 32 international organizations worldwide, generated nearly 1 trillion US dollars of investment, formed more than 3000 cooperation projects, and lifted about 40 million people out of poverty. It has become a popular public good for the world and a platform for international cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bangladesh is the first country in south Asia to join the Belt and Road Initiative. In the past seven years, the Belt and Road Initiative has injected impetus into Bangladesh's economic growth, and improved the livelihood of Bangladeshi people. Looking ahead, the Belt and Road Initiative will continue to unleash strong vitality and become a road of opportunity and prosperity for China and Bangladesh.

First, on policy connectivity. The leaders of our two countries have provided strong political guidance for China-Bangladesh relations. In 2016, President Xi Jinping of China paid a historic visit to Bangladesh and elevated the relationship between the two countries to strategic partnership of cooperation. Three years later, Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a landmark visit to China. Before Children’s Day this year, President Xi wrote a reply letter to Alifa Chin, a 13-year old Bangladeshi girl, which has endowed China-Bangladesh relations with new significance and connotation. Last month, President Xi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met face-to-face for the first time over the last four years in South Africa. They reached a series of important consensus, injected strong impetus into our bilateral relations and charted out the way forward.

Second, on infrastructure connectivity. China has built 12 roads, 21 bridges and 27 power and energy projects in Bangladesh, and Chinese companies have created more than 550 thousand jobs in Bangladesh. Recently, Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant Project and the first section of Dhaka Elevated Expressway have been completed, which contribute to promoting Bangladesh's economic and social development and uplifting people's livelihood.

In the fourth quarter of this year, the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, and the first section of the Padma Bridge Railway Link project will be opened to traffic. The Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone will start construction. The S.Alam Coal Fired Plant and Cox's Bazar Wind Power Plant will be operated commercially. The Belt and Road Initiative is a “treasure trove”, which will surely become a road of dream for both countries.

Third, on trade connectivity. China has been Bangladesh's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years. Since Bangladesh joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2016, bilateral trade has grown from 15.3 billion US dollars to 27.8 billion US dollars in 2022, which is the highest in the history.

China will continue to promote the sustained and balanced development of bilateral trade, expidite the export of mango and other high-quality agricultural products to China. China will also advance the negotiation of free trade agreement with Bangladesh, make good use of platforms such as the CIIE, help diversify Bangladesh’s export market and assist Bangladesh in graduation from LDC.

Fourth, on financial connectivity. The stock of Chinese investment in Bangladesh has grown to 1.3 billion US dollars by 2022. There are more than 670 Chinese companies operating in Bangladesh. Just now, I awarded licenses to 16 Chinese companies whose South Asian headquarters are in Bangladesh.

China will keep encouraging more Chinese companies to invest in Bangladesh. Bangladesh plans to build 100 economic zones across the country, and I believe that many of them will be named after “China”.

Fifth, on people-to-people connectivity. Over the years, China has provided more than 5000 opportunities for Bangladeshi young people to go to China for training and participate in degree education. Right now, there have been 50 flights flying between China and Bangladesh every week, and nearly 10 thousand people commute to and from China and Bangladesh on weekly basis, which will tremendously promote personnel exchanges between the two countries. In the future, China will provide Bangladeshi friends with more opportunities for training and degree education in China.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Belt and Road Initiative serves as a platform for China to construct the community with a shared future for mankind. The Belt and Road Initiative has no gene of seeking hegemony, no tradition of interfering in other country’s internal affairs, and no elements of expansion and plunder. It can be said that on the journey of Bangladesh's modernization, the Belt and Road Initiative is most consistent with the “Vision 2041” and “Sonar Bangla” dream and is most suitable for Bangladesh's reality. With the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Bangladesh relations will surely reach a new height and open a new era of friendly cooperation.

Thank you.