Bangladesh and China elevated their ties during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Beijing this week, according to the consensus in Chinese media outlets, a preponderance of which happen to be state-owned.
The two countries today upgraded their relations to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership".
China's state-led international broadcaster, CGTN, which broadcasts in English, reported the upgrade with an emphasis on Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech during the meeting.
Xi said since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, the two countries have always shown mutual respect and support, treated each other on an equal footing and engaged in win-win cooperation, according to CGTN.
He also said the relationship between China and Bangladesh stands as a shining example of amicable interactions and mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly among Global South nations.
Xi urged the two sides to make efforts for the Year of People-to-People Exchanges between China and Bangladesh next year to promote exchanges and cooperation in fields such as culture, tourism, media and sports, CGTN reported, adding that he said China is ready to work closely with Bangladesh on international and regional affairs, and strengthen coordination and cooperation within the United Nations and other multilateral frameworks.
Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, in a piece titled "China, Bangladesh elevate ties, broaden cooperation" today, repeated most of the CGTN report on Xi's speech, and carried the prime minister's assurances that "Bangladesh firmly adheres to the one-China principle, supports China's stance on the Taiwan question, resolutely opposes external forces' interference in China's internal affairs, and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests".
The report quoted Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, as saying that the visit by Hasina is a link between the past and the future for bilateral relations, especially in promoting high-level cooperation in the field of economy and trade.
The development strategies of the two countries will be further synergised, and more economic and trade cooperation projects are expected to be implemented in the future, injecting more substantive connotations into the duo's strategic cooperative relations, Qian told Global Times.
Another expert that Global Times spoke to, Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow with the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the visit would further promote the traditional friendship between the two countries.
The Global Times report also noted the Indian angle, reporting: "[S]ome Indian media outlets viewed Hasina's China visit as 'a balancing act to keep the two key players happy,' as 'she needs India to be in power, and China for economic support.' Some Indian media also talked down the cooperation between Beijing and Dhaka."
In this context, Hu told Global Times: "India always uses various excuses to obstruct and create hype whenever a South Asian leader visits China, but New Delhi should not be overly concerned that other countries' engagement with China will damage their relations with India."
Meanwhile Qian, the other expert quoted in the report, said: "For Bangladesh, in the face of pressure from India, the development of China-Bangladesh relations also provides a valuable choice for Dhaka to better safeguard its diplomatic independence and development opportunities."
Global Times also reported separately on "The Summit on Trade, Business, and Investment Opportunities between Bangladesh and China| that took place on Tuesday, and on the day of the PM's arrival in Beijing, Monday, carried an op-ed titled "China-Bangladesh bonhomie benefits both" by Zhang Xiaoyu, an expert in South Asian Studies at the Communication University of China.
The South China Morning Post, one of the few privately-owned media outlets in the country, based out of Hong Kong, titled its report "China and Bangladesh pledge to fight external interference and boost economic cooperation" today.
It said Hasina reassured Xi over Taiwan, calling it "Beijing's most sensitive issue", and quoted the prime minister as saying, "Bangladesh firmly adheres to the one-China principle, supports China's position on the Taiwan issue, and resolutely opposes external forces interfering in China's internal affairs."
China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang Huning, a member of China's Politburo Standing Committee who met with Hasina, as saying that "China and Bangladesh have respected and treated each other with equality, setting a good example of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries."
