中文
By Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem (Arman)
Lead: A foreign affairs adviser to Bangladesh's Leader of the Opposition writes that the China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor could deepen a friendship spanning over five decades, linking South and Southeast Asia while advancing shared prosperity.
In July 2026, as the Communist Party of China (CPC) marks its 105th anniversary, I had the honor of addressing a symposium at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. The occasion prompted reflection on a relationship that has endured for five decades, and on where it might go next.
Few political organizations have sustained a national blueprint of such scale and duration as the CPC has. In little more than four decades, the CPC guided the largest poverty-reduction effort in human history, built the world's most extensive high-speed rail network and turned Chinese enterprises into global leaders in renewable energy and technology. This record deserves genuine respect, regardless of one's political tradition.
Bangladesh has walked its own difficult road, winning independence at great cost. Nations that have endured hardships tend to recognize resilience in one another, and this recognition has helped sustain the enduring friendship between our two countries.
Today that friendship faces a genuine test of ambition: the proposed economic corridor linking China's Yunnan province, through Myanmar, to Bangladesh's port of Chittagong. For China, it offers an alternative route to the Bay of Bengal, reducing reliance on the Malacca Strait chokepoint. For Bangladesh, pursued carefully, it could position our country as a genuine hub linking South and Southeast Asia.
This corridor also speaks to Bangladesh's wider ambitions: closer integration with ASEAN and eventual accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. A Bangladesh connected efficiently to Yunnan and seated within RCEP's vast trading network would bring Chinese supply chains closer to a market of nearly 200 million people. We believe that would also contribute to my country’s deeper integration with ASEAN and its eventual accession to the RCEP.
None of this, however, should rest on infrastructure alone. Bangladesh must build its own capacity in parallel: stronger banks, deeper research institutions, continued investment in our own culture, a generation trained in Mandarin and genuine technical expertise, so that Bangladeshis can play their due role in this corridor rather than merely observe it.
As adviser on foreign affairs to the Leader of the Opposition, I can say that Bangladesh's Official Opposition welcomes deeper engagement with China, not only government-to-government but also party-to-party. We value the growing contact with the CPC's International Department, and we would welcome more regular dialogue, exchange visits and joint programs in the years ahead.
Reflecting on this partnership, I am reminded of Chinese President Xi Jinping's statement in October 2023 that China would continue to follow the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and work with other countries in the region to build an Asian homeland of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendly coexistence. This vision resonates deeply with the historical interactions between our two ancient peoples — the Chinese and the Bengali, over the past centuries, including trade in silk and spices across these same waters. That bond still connects our two nations today. It asks only that we build on the amicable exchanges over the past, expand our cooperation, and work hand in hand so that the Bay of Bengal carries not just cargo, but the shared hope of the two peoples.
Ultimately, I wish to express my profound appreciation for China's long-term support and assistance to the economic and social development of Bangladesh. As Dr. Shafiqur Rahman stated when meeting Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen earlier this year, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will continue to actively advance exchanges between the two countries in areas such as political parties, parliaments, and non-governmental sectors, and play a constructive role in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and enhancing friendship between the two peoples.
Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem (Arman) is MP for Dhaka-14 and adviser on foreign affairs to the Leader of the Opposition in the 13th Bangladesh Parliament.
