June 19, 2014
INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL COOPERATION
Special Industrial and Economic Zone for China in Bangladesh
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen assured his country’s support to Bangladesh’s efforts to become a member of the Mekong Ganges Cooperation (MGC) to enhance more cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communications. To boost bilateral ties in industry, trade, commerce, and agriculture, Bangladesh and Cambodia signed three agreements and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during a landmark three-day visit of the Cambodian prime minister to Bangladesh. The visiting Premier assured his country’s support for Bangladesh’s efforts to become an ASEAN partner.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao told officials that ADB will continue to assist Bangladesh’s efforts to address infrastructure needs, including power, gas, roads, railways and urban services. ADB will also strengthen cooperation to regional connectivity and energy trade, while continuing to support investments to enhance agriculture and rural productivity for higher income and more jobs. Along with infrastructural solutions, ADB extends supports to Bangladesh in softer but critical areas like skill development of human resources through secondary and technical vocational education. .
President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Akihiko Tanaka said Bangladesh will be the economic power in South Asia soon if it can strengthen regional cooperation, expand the garment industry and ensure formal industrialization. Japan has already provided financial support to Bangladesh for Matarbari coal-fired power plant and four other projects as the Asian economic giant seeks to deepen its ties with Bangladesh. .
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government pledges to lead by example in breaking the global culture of impunity by bringing to justice the perpetrators of sexual violence and crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation. In his statement at the London Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H Mahmood Ali urged the global leaders to ensure world peace while British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Actress Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, led the programme.
Bangladesh Navy offered to train the Lebanese navy thorough lessons on naval aspects on maritime strategy and warfare as Lebanon strives to upgrade its capability. Lebanese Armed Forces Chief of Staff gratefully recalled the role of Bangladesh navy in securing his country's maritime boundary..
TRADE AND INVESTMENT
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Several countries like France, Australia, Japan, China, Italy, Germany, South Korea, India, the USA, Spain, Thailand, Singapore and the UK have invested in Bangladesh’s industrial and commercial sectors during the previous tenure of current government. 556 joint venture investment projects worth $1.2 billion were listed in the last five years. More 306 industrial projects have been approved with a total investment of $ 800 million during the same period.
The United States has assured continued support for further development of Bangladesh’s RMG sector and acknowledged the progress already made in the areas of labour rights and factory safety. The assurance came during Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed’s meetings with the US officials in Washington. The Minister also urged them to consider duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and Greece have entered into discussions on investment proposals on contractual farming, ginning and spinning of cotton in Greece, and subsequent export to Bangladesh. It is estimated that the implementation of such investment proposals can create hundreds of new jobs and reopen cotton ginning and spinning plants, which remain inactive for years, in Greece.
A World Bank project will enhance road links among Bangladesh and Indian northeastern states, as well as with Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. The link to Bangladesh will facilitate greater bilateral trade and access to the Port of Chittagong – the nearest shipping port for the northeastern region of India.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
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Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao praised Bangladesh for its strong economic growth, achievements in poverty reduction and attaining of millennium development goals in recent years. The appreciation came when the visiting ADB President called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and discussed the continuation of the four-decade long partnership between Bangladesh and the Manila-based multi-lateral development bank. He said maintaining 6% GDP growth and reducing poverty by 25% in two decades have been a highly commendable job.
Bangladesh government signed a contract with a Chinese company (China Major Bridge Engineering Limited) to construct the main structure of the Padma Bridge. The 6.15 km-long bridge would be built in 48 months. The government predicts the Padma bridge, once completed, will boost the GDP growth by as much as 1.2%.
Bangladesh Awami League