China, Bangladesh reaffirm their ties as territorial, economic issues rise in region

Beijing: China and Bangladesh are reaffirming their ties during a visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing on Wednesday as tensions...

Beijing: China and Bangladesh are reaffirming their ties during a visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing on Wednesday as tensions rise in the region over territorial disputes and resources.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang Huning, a member of China's Politburo Standing Committee who met with Hasina, as saying that "China and Bangladesh have respected and treated each other with equality, setting a good example of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries.”

Xinhua reported Hasina later met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and "elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership." No details were given. but the designation of relations generally entails closer economic relations, largely funded by Chinese policy banks.

Hasina met with her Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, on Wednesday and oversaw the signing of 28 bilateral agreements covering mostly trade and investment.

While Bangladesh maintains development partnerships with the United States and India, it is also drawing closer to China, which is heavily engaged in the country’s major infrastructure projects.