MKsport Stability and Prosperity in Shanghai on January 23, 2025. Photo: Huang Lanlan/Global Times" />

Participants take a group photo at the seminar Our Shared Vision for Peace, Stability and Prosperity in Shanghai on January 23, 2025. Photo: Huang Lanlan/Global Times

The joint efforts of Bangladesh and China in enhancing bilateral trade, investment, and commercial activities will add positive value to the both countries, Touhid Hossain, Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, said at a seminar in Shanghai on Thursday, as part of his ongoing visit to China.

Hossain expressed his gratitude for China’s positive role in the world economy and politics, as well as for its multifaceted support to Bangladesh. China and Bangladesh’s engagement has evolved into a dynamic partnership, and China’s commitment to Bangladesh’s development has been instrumental in exploring Bangladesh’s journey toward prosperity, he said in delivering a speech at the seminar.

The two friendly nations of Bangladesh and China “have fostered a relationship of comprehensive strategy partnership built on trust, mutual respect and a shared vision of a better future,” Hossain stated.

Under the theme of “our shared vision for peace, stability and prosperity,” the seminar was held at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) on Thursday, as part of the commemorative series marking the 50th anniversary of China-Bangladesh diplomatic relations in 2025.

China and Bangladesh are close neighbors and important members of regional cooperation. Echoing to Hossain’s remarks, Yang Jiemian, Chairman of SIIS Academic Advisory Council, said that the two countries should and could become a vital force in promoting economic cooperation in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia.

“Regarding international environments, the world has entered into a period of turbulence and transformations, both China and Bangladesh, as important members of the Global South, are joining our efforts to build a better global environment of world peace and stability,” Yang said at the seminar.

Some Chinese and Bangladeshi government officials and scholars shared opinions in the fields of further collaborations between the two countries at the seminar. 

China and Bangladesh share numerous development opportunities across various sectors, said Liu Zongyi, director of the SIIS Center for South Asia Studies, who also attended the seminar. “In fields such as agriculture, urbanization, environmental protection, and sustainable development, China’s wealth of experience offers valuable lessons for Bangladesh,” Liu told the Global Times.

At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Hossain is scheduled to visit China from January 20 to 24, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on January 17. 

The visit has delivered clear and encouraging signals, such as that the further development of China-Bangladesh relations will remain unaffected by domestic political changes in Bangladesh, as well as Bangladesh’s commitment to deepening economic cooperation with China, said Liu.