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THIS paper as well as the whole nation welcomes Chinese premier Wen Jiabao to Bangladesh. The bonds of friendship and mutual cooperation between the two peoples date back to time out of mind. However, the present state of diplomatic friendship at the state level was established in 1976 after the new nation of Bangladesh emerged on the world map in 1971. From this historical perspective the present visit of the Chinese premier to Bangladesh will go down in history as another milestone in the relationship between the two countries.
China after it started a new era in its journey towards modernisation has by now attained an enviable position on the economic front among the community of nations in the global context. The pace of its development is a model before the whole world. It is already known as a global economic powerhouse and its growth rate is still second to none. Strangely enough, the phenomenal growth could be achieved within the span of only two and a half decades. Many are wont to say that it is nothing short of a miracle. But in spite of this legendary record of success within such a short period of time, the Chinese have not gone overboard. The entourage of the present Chinese premier consists of four cabinet ministers holding important portfolios, four state ministers as well as other very important government officials and members of the business community of that country.
In its ongoing endeavours towards the path of development especially in the field of industrialisation, trade and commerce, Bangladesh will be able to gain significantly from increased cooperation with China. The present state of imbalance in external trade between the two countries is not in Bangladesh's favour. The government leaders must take this opportunity to sort out the bottlenecks during the meetings with their Chinese counterparts. The business community here, too, should try to exploit the opportunity to its fullest extent. Bangladesh needs to diversify its exportable commodities to the Chinese market. But before doing that, the government and the business communities have to have closer contact with their counterparts in China. While thinking of expanding the existing market, it is also necessary to think beyond the traditional. So, the more often the representatives at various levels of the administration and the private sector of the two nations visit and communicate with one another, the more they will be get to know about the market potentials of their goods and services to each country. That would go a long in evening up the trade gap between Bangladesh and China.
There is another area of greater interest for Bangladesh. That is about setting up more collaborative ventures with Chinese capital and expertise in Bangladesh. As China still claims itself to be a developing nation, such cooperation in the economic fields will be more horizontal than vertical as is the case with other countries that are far too advanced for Bangladesh to emulate. Moreover, the Chinese experience in economic modernisation is still very fresh. This fact in itself holds out a huge opportunity for the entrepreneurs of Bangladesh to get a clearer picture of the Chinese path of growth.
In the field of politics and diplomacy, China is already a tested friend of Bangladesh. So, it makes the task easier for the leaders of Bangladesh to draw on that congenial relationship existing at the diplomatic level. No country can expect to live and prosper in an isolated way in this age of globalisation. So, Bangladesh and China, too, cannot develop for long without seeing their relationship in that context. The Chinese premier in his present visit to the South Asian countries including Bangladesh has already attended a meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) held in Islamabad. The ACD is poised to become an Asian phenomenon in the field of regional cooperation on a continental scale represented by some 26 countries. Bangladesh should also get hold of the opportunity as a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to put this occasion to good use.
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