Golam Moin Uddin & AKM Moinuddin, UNB Staff Writers
Dhaka, Mar 4 – Bangladesh has sought over $ 8.93 billion Chinese assistance to help implement eight priority projects in Bangladesh for the year 2017 which is seen as a follow-up step after Chinese President’s historic Dhaka visit last year.Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Finance Ministry has already written a letter to the Chinese authorities concerned through Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Ma Mingqiang regarding the Chinese financial assistance, a senior official told UNB.
Bangladesh side identified eight projects from a long list of schemes for which deals signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Dhaka visit in October last year and described those eight projects as ‘utmost important’.
The eight projects are Dhaka-Sylhet four-lane highway project, Development of National ICT Infra-Network for Bangladesh Government Phase III (Info-Sarkar), Padma Bridge Rail Link, Installation of Single Point Mooring with Double Pipeline, Expansion and Strengthening of Power System Network under DPDC Area Project, Power Grid Network Strengthening Project under PGCB, Modernization of Telecommunication Network for Digital Connectivity and China Economic and Industrial Zone in Chittagong with related infrastructure development.
The highest $3.13 billion Chinese assistance was sought for Padma Bridge Rail Link project, according to a government document obtained by UNB.
Chinese assistance worth $ 1.60 billion has been sought for Dhaka-Sylhet Four-Lane Highway, while $ 1.65 billion for the Expansion and Strengthening of Power System Network project, officials said.
ERD officials had a series of discussions with their Chinese counterparts in February for taking steps to avail of the Chinese assistance for the eight projects. If things go well, a fresh agreement on Chinese assistance will be signed as soon as possible. “This total $ 8.93 billion will be required to implement the projects over some years,” said an ERD official.
Bangladesh side raised the issue of Chinese assistance for the year 2017 on February 9 but it could not be known whether China responded positively or not.
China has provided numerous assistances to support Bangladesh’s economic and social progress, including seven China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridges and Bangabandhu International Convention Center, officials said.
Bangladesh and China have recently reached a consensus on the 8th China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge and China-Bangladesh Friendship Exposition Centre.
The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of 27 deals and Bangladesh will gradually receive $24.45 billion in assistance from China for the projects identified by both sides.
Thirteen Bangladeshi business entities also signed 13 joint venture agreements with their similar number of Chinese counterparts involving $13.6 billion during the visit, private sector sources said.
The two countries signed documents of cooperation in areas such as cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, industrial capacity building, power and energy, information and communication technology, investment, maritime cooperation, disaster management and cultural and people-to-people contacts during the visit.
Dhaka and Beijing described the visit as historic one because things were totally different when the last time a Chinese president visited Bangladesh back in 1986.
President Xi unveiled a multi-billion investment plan in Bangladesh during his less than 23 hours of stay in Dhaka in October last year.
