Beijing, Dhaka to accelerate cooperation

President Xi Jinping and Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin exchanged congratulatory messages on Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his message, Xi noted that China and Bangladesh are traditional friendly neighbors with a long history of exchanges.

Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, regardless of changes in international and regional landscapes, China and Bangladesh have always fostered friendly relations on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, setting an example of mutual respect, equality and win-win cooperation, he said.

In recent years, China and Bangladesh have continued to consolidate political mutual trust, expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as well as practical cooperation in various fields, and further deepen their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said.

Xi emphasized that he attaches great importance to China's relations with Bangladesh and stands ready to work with Shahabuddin to take the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and promote common development, in order to better benefit the two peoples and make greater contributions to world peace and progress.

For his part, Shahabuddin said that over the past 50 years, Bangladesh and China have forged a deep friendship based on mutual respect and trust, as well as enduring cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples.

He noted that Bangladesh highly appreciates China's important role in promoting regional peace, stability and common prosperity, and expressed gratitude for China's long-term valuable support for Bangladesh's sustainable development.

He expressed the belief that with the joint efforts of the leaders and peoples of the two countries, bilateral cooperation will yield even greater results.

Also on Saturday, Premier Li Qiang and Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government Muhammad Yunus exchanged congratulatory messages.

Li said that China highly values the development of China-Bangladesh relations, and stands ready to work with Bangladesh to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to accelerate high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as collaboration across various fields, and promote the continued growth of the China-Bangladesh comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Yunus said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 50 years ago, the friendship between the two peoples has grown stronger, bilateral ties have developed steadily and cooperation has yielded fruitful results, which is worth celebrating.

Bangladesh is committed to promoting new achievements in the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, he added.

Xinhua