Diplomatic Correspondent :
Chinese naval fleet Qi Jiguang and Jing Gangshan arrived at Chittagong Port, starting a goodwill visit to Bangladesh in a view to deepening Bangladesh-China friendship and cooperation.
Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, welcomed the training fleet at the Port on Saturday.
Diplomats from Chinese Embassy, representatives from enterprises and Confucius Institute, and overseas Chinese, attended the welcoming ceremony.
In a warm and friendly atmosphere, the Chinese PLANTask Group 83 berthed at Chittagong Port.
Chinese waved the national flags of China and Bangladesh with great enthusiasm, extended high tribute to Chinese Navy, and wished long live China-Bangladesh friendship.
During the fleet’s four-day goodwill visit, series of events will take place, including bilateral meetings, ship open days, and deck reception, to enhance China and
Bangladesh Navy cooperation and mutual trust, and contribute to the building of a maritime community of shared future.
This visit marks the first occasion in four years since Chinese naval fleet last visited Bangladesh, and it is the first foreign naval fleet to visit since the establishment of Bangladesh interim government.
The visit holds significant importance for deepening China-Bangladesh friendship and cooperation.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Chinese Ambassador and commanders of the Chinese naval fleet Qi Jiguang and Jing Gangshan, called on Rear Admiral Masud Iqbal, Commander of the Chattogram Naval Area, Rear Admiral Md Moinul Hassan, Commander of the Bangladesh Navy Fleet, and Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority.
The two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on China-Bangladesh friendship and cooperation. Both parties conveyed their strong confidence in the development of China-Bangladesh relations, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening defense and security cooperation.
Ambassador Yao Wen said that, China and Bangladesh are traditionally friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners.
No matter what changes have taken place in the domestic situation of Bangladesh, China’s commitment to develop China-Bangladesh relations remains unchanged.
China is looking forward to working closely with Bangladesh to cement our traditional friendship, deepen friendly exchanges and mutually-beneficial cooperation in various areas, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, further advance the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new height.
Apart from it, the Ambassador also met with Leaders of Major Political Parties in the Chittagong Region separately.
He met with Golam Akbar Khandkar, Advisor to BNP Chairperson and the BNP’s regional leader for Chittagong, and Muhammad Shahjahan, Assistant Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and regional leader for Chittagong.
Ambassador Yao emphasised that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has long maintained friendly relations with all major political parties in Bangladesh.
He expressed China’s willingness to further strengthen exchanges on governance under the new circumstances, enhance personnel training, and promote cooperation across various fields, advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership for the benefit of both people.
The regional leaders of the two parties expressed their gratitude for the long-standing support provided by the CPC, the Chinese government, and the Chinese people towards Bangladesh’s national development, economic and social progress, and the well-being of its people.
They noted that Bangladesh is at a critical juncture of national reconstruction and requested continued Chinese support for Bangladesh’s development.
They also expressed their desire to further strengthen party-to-party exchanges and friendly cooperation with the CPC.
Both sides exchanged views on the current situation in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Bangladesh diplomatic relations in 2025, as well as the “Year of People-to-People Exchanges”.
Since the formation of the interim government of Bangladesh spearheaded by Prof Muhammad Yunus, the Chinese government has extended its cooperation with the current government.
In a bid to provide medical support to the victims of the July-August mass uprising, the Chinese government sent a special medical team to treat these wounded people.