DHAKA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- "The relationship, the way it has been progressing over the past decades, will continue to improve," said Syed Aminul Kabir, director of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), adding that "China is going to be our best trade partner in the days to come."
Kabir, also CEO of May International Trade Services Ltd, who just concluded his trip to the 8th China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, told Xinhua on Saturday that it was a great experience.
"It's a really great platform, not only between China and Bangladesh expositions. It is also an opportunity to expand our footprint to South Asian countries, including some ASEAN countries," Kabir said.
"I have seen countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and so on. China has not only provided us with a platform to showcase our products to the Chinese, but Bangladesh has also had the opportunity to showcase its products, services, and collaborations globally, not only in China," Kabir said.
He said that "China always gives us this kind of experience. We can always observe their great developments. If we can take some of their practices, it would be massive for our own development."
Noting that China has been the biggest trade partner of Bangladesh for years, Kabir said that the relationship between Bangladesh and China will continue to develop in this way.
As an example, Kabir mentioned that during the prime minister's visit to China in early July, several documents were signed, and cooperation on digital banking systems between companies from both countries was agreed upon.
For the export side from Bangladesh, there is a huge trade deficit. So, the Bangladeshi side emphasizes the importance of exporting Bangladeshi products, such as mangoes and leather goods, Kabir added.
"Chinese demand is increasing, so they can always come here to manufacture goods in Bangladesh using our skilled manpower. These products can then be exported back to China or to markets all around the world," he said.
Kabir also mentioned that Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are showing great interest in settlements with Chinese yuan.
"We, as a business group, particularly the BCCCI, are emphasizing the activation of the Chinese yuan as a currency for settlements. We have requested our Chinese friends and central bank to look at those particular areas so that our Chinese currency reserve will go up. This will definitely facilitate the import of goods from China," he said.
"I can see a great and bright future for the trade relationship between China and Bangladesh in connection to these goals," he added.
Noting that China is also one of the biggest development partners for Bangladesh, Kabir said that over the past years, the two countries have achieved fruitful results under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Looking ahead, he believes the BRI will continue to bring positive outcomes.
"Bangladesh is one of China's fastest-growing partners. We seek China's support to strengthen that. We look forward to enhancing communication under the BRI so that the initiative can achieve its goals in a positive and efficient manner. This is why Bangladesh is very optimistic and eager to engage in initiatives led by China," he said.
"We are committed to being an active part of this collaboration," Kabir stressed. ■