Chinese investments in Bangladesh should not concern India, says Shahriar Alam

Chinese investments in Bangladesh should not be a “matter of concern” for India, as nothing compares to Indo-Bangladesh relations “which have proven successful”, said Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam in an interview.

The “anti-liberation forces” which had been behind the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and attacked the life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, “were spitting venom at India but have now weakened and have lost their credibility and acceptance among the masses, “the state minister told PTI in Kolkata last week.

He did not rule out the “possibilities” of Pakistan’s involvement in stoking anti-Indian sentiments in Bangladesh, but refused to “jump to conclusions” because he does not want Bangladesh to be a breeding ground. possible exchange for Indo-Pakistan bilateral issues.

“Our relationship with India cannot be compared (with any other country). There is nothing to fear. The Indian government understands this loud and clear.

“Of course, China has excelled on many fronts. If you look at world trade, even countries that don’t get along with China have it as their biggest trading partner. They are also a trading partner for Bangladesh. business proposals for the private and public sectors, ”Alam said.

He said there were a lot of misconceptions about the growth of Chinese investment in Bangladesh, reports our correspondent in New Delhi.

“Someone asked me if we are building the Padma Bridge with Chinese funding. This is completely wrong. Not a single Chinese penny has been used. The bridge is being built by a Chinese contractor, an individual part. Their government is not involved. This is how things get lost in translation, “he said.

“During the last visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, a number of projects were discussed, but not even half of them were approved. Even India has agreed on many more projects with China than us, ”Alam added in his recent interview. visit to Calcutta.

He said that Bangladesh’s foreign policy is synonymous with “friendship with all and wickedness towards no one”.

Alam said issues such as countering extremism for regional peace and eradicating poverty are of the utmost importance for the bilateral relations of India and Bangladesh.

He said that “a tripartite initiative between India, Bangladesh and Myanmar to combat conflict is essential. Bangladesh is also making an extra effort to help Indian forces fight insurgencies in border states of our country. “.

PTI quoted the minister of state as saying that Bangladesh has made progress in defense and communication with India’s $ 500 million soft loan.

“We have made progress not only in defense procurement but also in communication. But there are some bureaucratic issues that still need to be addressed to successfully use the line of credit. So there is some slowness in the whole thing,” did he declare.

Alam said “some things” were agreed upon during Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s recent visit to Bangladesh to speed up the whole process.

“The Indian and Bangladeshi foreign ministers have discussed the matter and have agreed on some things. Hopefully this will speed things up. India’s investment in our infrastructure is another dimension of our relationship.” , he added.