Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Sunday (Aug&nbsp;25), urged China to move some of its solar panel factories to Bangladesh. The Nobel laureate, during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen at the State Guest House Jamuna, said that he believes this could boost Bangladesh's transition to a green economy and expand its export options.

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Chief Adviser Yunus highlighted the need for closer economic ties between China and Bangladesh.&nbsp;

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He also suggested that China increase imports of Bangladeshi goods. Yunus also called for technological transfer and increased collaboration in technology, disaster management, education, and farming.

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Ambassador Wen welcomed the formation of the interim government. He also expressed China's willingness to share its development experiences with Bangladesh.

"The future of Bangladesh will be better and brighter under your leadership," he told the Bangladeshi Chief Adviser.

"No matter what changes have taken place in the domestic situation of Bangladesh, China's commitment to develop China-Bangladesh relations remains unchanged," he said.

The Ambassador said that the two nations have recently upgraded their relationship to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" and will celebrate their 50th year of diplomatic ties next year.

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Ambassador Wen also addressed the Rohingya crisis, promising China's continued support for humanitarian efforts.&nbsp;

He announced a donation of $100,000 from the Chinese Red Cross for flood relief in Bangladesh as he handed over a $20,000 cheque to the Flood Relief Fund of the Chief Adviser from the embassy.

"China is committed to working with Bangladesh to organise and carry out activities for the 'China-Bangladesh Year of People-to-People Exchanges' in 2025," said the ambassador. He also extended an invitation for Yunus to visit China.

(With inputs from agencies)

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Sunday (Aug 25), urged China to move some of its solar panel factories to Bangladesh. The Nobel laureate, during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen at the State Guest House Jamuna, said that he believes this could boost Bangladesh's transition to a green economy and expand its export options.

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Sunday (Aug 25), urged China to move some of its solar panel factories to Bangladesh. The Nobel laureate, during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen at the State Guest House Jamuna, said that he believes this could boost Bangladesh's transition to a green economy and expand its export options. China-Bangladesh ties Chief Adviser Yunus highlighted the need for closer economic ties between China and Bangladesh. Also read | China cracks down on divorce: Newly proposed rules make it harder to split, easier to marry He also suggested that China increase imports of Bangladeshi goods. Yunus also called for technological transfer and increased collaboration in technology, disaster management, education, and farming. China welcomes Bangladesh's interim government Ambassador Wen welcomed the formation of the interim government. He also expressed China's willingness to share its development experiences with Bangladesh. "The future of Bangladesh will be better and brighter under your leadership," he told the Bangladeshi Chief Adviser. "No matter what changes have taken place in the domestic situation of Bangladesh, China's commitment to develop China-Bangladesh relations remains unchanged," he said. The Ambassador said that the two nations have recently upgraded their relationship to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" and will celebrate their 50th year of diplomatic ties next year. Also read | Kamala Harris' historic haul: Democratic Party nominee raises over $540 million, mostly from first-time donors Ambassador Wen also addressed the Rohingya crisis, promising China's continued support for humanitarian efforts. He announced a donation of $100,000 from the Chinese Red Cross for flood relief in Bangladesh as he handed over a $20,000 cheque to the Flood Relief Fund of the Chief Adviser from the embassy. "China is committed to working with Bangladesh to organise and carry out activities for the 'China-Bangladesh Year of People-to-People Exchanges' in 2025," said the ambassador. He also extended an invitation for Yunus to visit China. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese ambassador hands over $20,000 cheque to Bangladesh for flood relief

Amid Sri Lanka's deepening economic crisis, Bangladesh’s finance minister Mustafa Kamal warned that countries should "think twice" before agreeing to join China in its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).

Kamal blamed China for not carrying out a rigorous study before forwarding its Belt and Road project which has plunged some countries into a debt crisis. The Bangladesh&nbsp;minister cited Sri Lanka's example which was involved in the controversial Hambantota&nbsp;project.

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The International Monetary Fund(IMF) had earlier said it would aid Bangladesh in its current economic crisis after it requested funding to ride out the financial shock due to escalating international fuel prices. Reports claim Bangladesh has asked for a massive $4.5 billion aid package from the IMF. Bangladesh's currency has plunged against the US dollar in recent months as the government has been forced to undertake strict austerity measures.

Watch:&nbsp;US invests billions to compete with China in semiconductor production

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Kamal's comments come as Bangladesh&nbsp;Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday. Wang Yi had said China wanted to "enhance" the BRI project as part of "Bangladesh's Vision 2041".

Sri Lanka has also been negotiating with the IMF for a financial bailout after defaulting on its debts. The country has been thrown into political turmoil as people protested violently against the Rajapaksa regime as angry crowds in the country stormed the president's official residence prompting the leader to flee abroad.

Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe&nbsp;has vowed to restore order however the country continues to experience economic woes while battling high inflation combined with fuel and electricity crises.

Kamal told the Financial Times of London that China should take the blame for debts due to the BRI project and it "cannot disagree" as it urged the Xi regime to focus on it since it was "very, very important” even as the minister claimed that Bangladesh is not at risk of defaulting on its debt like Sri Lanka.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Amid Sri Lanka's deepening economic crisis, Bangladesh’s finance minister Mustafa Kamal warned that countries should "think twice" before agreeing to join China in its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).

Amid Sri Lanka's deepening economic crisis, Bangladesh’s finance minister Mustafa Kamal warned that countries should "think twice" before agreeing to join China in its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative(BRI). Kamal blamed China for not carrying out a rigorous study before forwarding its Belt and Road project which has plunged some countries into a debt crisis. The Bangladesh minister cited Sri Lanka's example which was involved in the controversial Hambantota project. Also Read: China's 'whitepaper' on Taiwan: 'Reunification' and 'respond with the use of force' The International Monetary Fund(IMF) had earlier said it would aid Bangladesh in its current economic crisis after it requested funding to ride out the financial shock due to escalating international fuel prices. Reports claim Bangladesh has asked for a massive $4.5 billion aid package from the IMF. Bangladesh's currency has plunged against the US dollar in recent months as the government has been forced to undertake strict austerity measures. Watch: US invests billions to compete with China in semiconductor production Kamal's comments come as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday. Wang Yi had said China wanted to "enhance" the BRI project as part of "Bangladesh's Vision 2041". Sri Lanka has also been negotiating with the IMF for a financial bailout after defaulting on its debts. The country has been thrown into political turmoil as people protested violently against the Rajapaksa regime as angry crowds in the country stormed the president's official residence prompting the leader to flee abroad. Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe has vowed to restore order however the country continues to experience economic woes while battling high inflation combined with fuel and electricity crises. Kamal told the Financial Times of London that China should take the blame for debts due to the BRI project and it "cannot disagree" as it urged the Xi regime to focus on it since it was "very, very important” even as the minister claimed that Bangladesh is not at risk of defaulting on its debt like Sri Lanka. (With inputs from Agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE California records 827 Monkeypox cases, declares emergency

Bangladesh minister slams China's BRI loans amid foreign minister Wang's visit

Despite being in the middle of rising Indian and Chinese competition for South Asian influence, Bangladesh&nbsp;has tactfully approached both the regional powers.

On one hand, Bangladesh enjoys robust strategic ties with India, witnessed in just- completed joint naval exercises with India where the two sides held surface warfare drills in the Bay of Bengal. &nbsp;

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On the other, China is bankrolling billions of dollars worth of needed infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, checkbook diplomacy that has helped to pull the two sides closer together than perhaps ever in their modern history.

Here is the strategy adopted by Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina:

When Sheikh Hasina was elected as the prime minister of the country for the fourth time, a major diplomatic challenge was staring at her.

Even when she was forced to pick a side, she chose both India and China.

Sheikh Hasina has managed to walk the diplomatic tightrope quite successfully by carefully striking a balanced partnership with both the countries.

Bangladesh is almost completely surrounded by India with a 4,096-kilometer shared border. Robust and cordial ties with India are thus critical for Bangladesh’s economic development and national security.

Most crucially, Bangladesh’s water supply is dependent on rivers that flow into the country from neighbouring India.

Being a developing country,&nbsp;Bangladesh deepened its ties with China to bankroll its key infrastructural projects.&nbsp;

Unlike Pakistan and Sri Lanka has retained some autonomy because it&nbsp;is not buried under Chinese debt.

Bangladesh has adopted a cautious infrastructure development strategy, which involves drawing on the financial support and technical expertise of a number of countries in order to avoid becoming over-dependent on any single nation.

According to the ministry of finance,&nbsp;the external debt of Bangladesh stood at a little more than 33 billion dollars in 2018.

While the total foreign debt is less than 14 percent of the GDP of Bangladesh.&nbsp;Chinese loans account for just six percent of the total debt.

Dhaka's recent decision to bury the Sonadia deep-sea port project&nbsp;shows it is being selective in granting projects to China.

When concerns grew over rising Chinese influence, Dhaka assured New Delhi that it remains committed to strong ties with India.

During the visit of India's foreign secretary to Dhaka in August, Bangladesh and India discussed a two year long road map to improve their relationship. Both sides also agreed to open a travel bubble.

&nbsp;

Despite being in the middle of rising Indian and Chinese competition for South Asian influence, Bangladesh has tactfully approached both the regional powers. On one hand, Bangladesh enjoys robust strategic ties with India, witnessed in just- completed joint naval exercises with India where the two sides held surface warfare drills in the Bay of Bengal.

Despite being in the middle of rising Indian and Chinese competition for South Asian influence, Bangladesh has tactfully approached both the regional powers. On one hand, Bangladesh enjoys robust strategic ties with India, witnessed in just- completed joint naval exercises with India where the two sides held surface warfare drills in the Bay of Bengal. Also read: India, Bangladesh conduct naval exercise in Bay of Bengal On the other, China is bankrolling billions of dollars worth of needed infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, checkbook diplomacy that has helped to pull the two sides closer together than perhaps ever in their modern history. Here is the strategy adopted by Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: When Sheikh Hasina was elected as the prime minister of the country for the fourth time, a major diplomatic challenge was staring at her. Even when she was forced to pick a side, she chose both India and China. Sheikh Hasina has managed to walk the diplomatic tightrope quite successfully by carefully striking a balanced partnership with both the countries. Bangladesh is almost completely surrounded by India with a 4,096-kilometer shared border. Robust and cordial ties with India are thus critical for Bangladesh’s economic development and national security. Most crucially, Bangladesh’s water supply is dependent on rivers that flow into the country from neighbouring India. Being a developing country, Bangladesh deepened its ties with China to bankroll its key infrastructural projects. Unlike Pakistan and Sri Lanka has retained some autonomy because it is not buried under Chinese debt. Bangladesh has adopted a cautious infrastructure development strategy, which involves drawing on the financial support and technical expertise of a number of countries in order to avoid becoming over-dependent on any single nation. According to the ministry of finance, the external debt of Bangladesh stood at a little more than 33 billion dollars in 2018. While the total foreign debt is less than 14 percent of the GDP of Bangladesh. Chinese loans account for just six percent of the total debt. Dhaka's recent decision to bury the Sonadia deep-sea port project shows it is being selective in granting projects to China. When concerns grew over rising Chinese influence, Dhaka assured New Delhi that it remains committed to strong ties with India. During the visit of India's foreign secretary to Dhaka in August, Bangladesh and India discussed a two year long road map to improve their relationship. Both sides also agreed to open a travel bubble.

How Bangladesh has tactfully approached both India and China

China is giving Dhaka a loan of $1 billion for the Teesta river management project.

Teesta is the fourth-largest trans-boundary river in Bangladesh and flows through five northern districts - Gaibandha, Kurigram, 
Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Rangpur.

At least 21 million people in Bangladesh are dependant on the Teesta river. Now, China is helping Bangladesh with the management project for the river with work expected to start in December.&nbsp;Reports say it was Bangladesh that asked China for $983 million loan.

The river, however, in no way concerns China. Beijing is concerned with just two things - it gets to debt-trap Bangladesh and it is an opportunity for China to control one of India's allies.

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Teesta originates in India in Tsolamo. The river flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh. It is one of the 54 rivers that enter Bangladesh from India.

The Teesta has been a source of discord between the two countries with negotiations on water sharing dating back to 1951 when Bangladesh was East Pakistan.

Seven decades and a new country later, the negotiations have not quite reached a fruitful end. The negotiations were expedited in 2009 but the water-sharing deal is still pending. Now Bangladesh claims that because of a particular dam on the Indian side the flow of the river is reduced during winters which lead to two-month-long water crisis every year.

Bangladesh has painted India in a bad light and for China it spells an opportunity. It is the first time China is getting involved in a river management project in Bangladesh.&nbsp;

The Teesta river crisis is China's opportunity to test waters and an opportunity to whip up an anti-India sentiment, it is almost Nepal deja vu and the bad news is that so far it appears to be working.

New Delhi has sent its foreign secretary to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla on a day-long visit to Dhaka. India's foreign secretary is expected to call on Prime minister Sheikh Hasina and foreign minister Abdul Momen.

India will also be handing over around 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives to Dhaka.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, sources say the Teesta project is just one of the many projects that China is funding in Bangladesh. There are at least nine others with the total amount of loan reportedly at $6 billion. It is over and above the $22 billion Chinese loans that Bangladesh has already received, according to Bangladesh media.

China is giving Dhaka a loan of $1 billion for the Teesta river management project. Teesta is the fourth-largest trans-boundary river in Bangladesh and flows through five northern districts - Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Rangpur.

China is giving Dhaka a loan of $1 billion for the Teesta river management project. Teesta is the fourth-largest trans-boundary river in Bangladesh and flows through five northern districts - Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Rangpur. At least 21 million people in Bangladesh are dependant on the Teesta river. Now, China is helping Bangladesh with the management project for the river with work expected to start in December. Reports say it was Bangladesh that asked China for $983 million loan. The river, however, in no way concerns China. Beijing is concerned with just two things - it gets to debt-trap Bangladesh and it is an opportunity for China to control one of India's allies. Teesta originates in India in Tsolamo. The river flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh. It is one of the 54 rivers that enter Bangladesh from India. The Teesta has been a source of discord between the two countries with negotiations on water sharing dating back to 1951 when Bangladesh was East Pakistan. Seven decades and a new country later, the negotiations have not quite reached a fruitful end. The negotiations were expedited in 2009 but the water-sharing deal is still pending. Now Bangladesh claims that because of a particular dam on the Indian side the flow of the river is reduced during winters which lead to two-month-long water crisis every year. Bangladesh has painted India in a bad light and for China it spells an opportunity. It is the first time China is getting involved in a river management project in Bangladesh. The Teesta river crisis is China's opportunity to test waters and an opportunity to whip up an anti-India sentiment, it is almost Nepal deja vu and the bad news is that so far it appears to be working. New Delhi has sent its foreign secretary to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla on a day-long visit to Dhaka. India's foreign secretary is expected to call on Prime minister Sheikh Hasina and foreign minister Abdul Momen. India will also be handing over around 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives to Dhaka. Meanwhile, sources say the Teesta project is just one of the many projects that China is funding in Bangladesh. There are at least nine others with the total amount of loan reportedly at $6 billion. It is over and above the $22 billion Chinese loans that Bangladesh has already received, according to Bangladesh media.

Now, China gives loan to Bangladesh for Teesta river project

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit China in July first week, the first trip to Beijing after her re-election, during which the Asian giant may press for speeding up of the Bangladesh-China- India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor which has failed to take off.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to visit China in July