The second edition of the Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2025 kicked off in Dhaka on Friday to comprehensively showcase the achievements of the BRI cooperation between China and Bangladesh.
Commerce adviser SK Bashir Uddin inaugurated the two-day exhibition at International Convention City Bashundhara.
Speaking as the chief guest, Commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said the road safety situation in Bangladesh is extremely alarming.
鈥業t鈥檚 almost like a mass killing, as the number of people who die on our roads every year is staggering, and we all feel very unsafe because of the highly unsafe commercial vehicles in our country,鈥� he added.
To improve the situation, he urged Chinese companies to come to Bangladesh to build roads and manufacture quality trucks.
鈥榃e have a large market. So, we need to utilise all the components of our nearly half-a-trillion-dollar economy and turn it into a one-trillion-dollar economy as soon as possible,鈥� he added.
He also emphasised fostering trade and investment between the two countries and sought collective efforts.
China is Bangladesh鈥檚 largest trading partner, as Bangladesh imports goods worth over $22 billion from China.
鈥楿nfortunately, our exports come nowhere close to matching our imports from China,鈥� he added, saying that the Chinese Embassy has taken many initiatives to diversify export potential, including promoting exports like mangoes, but Bangladesh still has much more to do.
鈥楬owever, Bangladesh must identify which intermediate industrial products can be manufactured in Bangladesh today, as this will strengthen the competitiveness of the industrial sector,鈥� he added.
Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said Bangladesh is the first country among the South Asian countries that responded to the BRI, which created a new dimension.
鈥楥hina has taken economic and socio-economic development initiatives over the past 50 years. During the interim government, China has become the largest source of investment in Bangladesh,鈥� he added.
He also said that in the first half of this year, China鈥檚 investment in Bangladesh increased by 254.3 per cent, he added.
He also said that China is ready to cooperate with Bangladesh in trade and investment.
Md Sobur Hossain, additional secretary of the Ministry of Power, urged Chinese investors to invest in the renewable energy sector in Bangladesh and take the opportunity.
Mirana Mahrukh, chief of the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance, said that Bangladesh wants to strengthen the existing relationship with China.
鈥榃e are committed to building a discrimination-free Bangladesh. So, we need cooperation,鈥� she added.
According to organisers, there were a total of 80 stalls at the exhibition from 40 companies, of which 32 were Chinese companies and 8 were from Bangladesh.
The organisers also said that the exhibition would showcase the areas of key partnership between Bangladesh and China, including infrastructure, technology, energy, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing.
It would also feature high-level B2B and G2B networking and insightful seminars on trade, investment, and innovation.
