Bangladesh interim government foreign affairs adviser M Touhid Hossain on Thursday dismissed the notion of any emerging alliance among Bangladesh, China and Pakistan saying a recent meeting between the three countries was not of political nature rather an informal official level discussion.
鈥榃e are not forming any alliance,鈥� he told reporters at the foreign ministry as he was asked for comments about the trilateral meeting in China鈥檚 Kunming on June 19.
Hossain added, 鈥業t was a meeting at the official level, not at the political level鈥�, where there was 鈥榥o element of formation of any alliance鈥�.
Asked if the meeting was intended to sideline India, Hossain asserted, 鈥業t is certainly not targeting a third-party (which) I can assure you鈥�.
The foreign ministry in an earlier statement said representatives from Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan held an 鈥榠nformal trilateral meeting鈥� on the sidelines of the 9th China-South Asia Exposition and the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum in Kunming.
Former acting foreign secretary Md Ruhul Alam Siddique represented Dhaka in the meeting with Chinese vice-foreign-minister Sun Weidong, and Pakistani additional foreign secretary Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.
China and Pakistan issued separate statements on the meeting while Beijing said the three countries held 鈥榚xtensive discussions on trilateral cooperation鈥� and agreed to move forward based on 鈥榞ood-neighborliness, mutual trust, equality, openness, inclusiveness and shared development鈥�.
Islamabad, on the other hand, described the gathering as the 鈥榠naugural meeting of the Bangladesh-China-Pakistan trilateral mechanism鈥�.
Asked whether Dhaka rejected such characterisations, the adviser said 鈥榯here is no need to deny anything鈥� but emphasised that it was 鈥榥ot anything big and not something structured鈥�.
Hossain said that the discussions mainly focused on connectivity and related areas, noting, 鈥業f there is any further progress, you will know that (but) there is not much scope to speculate鈥�.
Hossain further said Dhaka did not have reservation in joining any such meeting like the Kunming one with other countries citing a hypothetical example involving India.
鈥業f India wants to have such a meeting among Bangladesh, India and Nepal, Dhaka will remain interested to 鈥渄o鈥� the meeting next day,鈥� the adviser said adding the Dhaka-New Delhi relation currently was going through a phase of 鈥榬eadjustment鈥�.
鈥楾he relationship with India is now at a stage of 鈥渞eadjustment鈥� and there is no lack of goodwill from Dhaka鈥檚 side to that end,鈥� he said.
鈥楲ook, let us acknowledge the truth. The level of deep relationship between India and the previous government had and the kind of relationship India had established, the current relationship with us is not like that one,鈥� he said as asked what he meant by readjustment.
During the Kunming meeting, the three sides discussed prospects for trilateral cooperation in key sectors such as infrastructure, connectivity, trade, investment, healthcare, agriculture, maritime affairs, ICT, disaster preparedness, and climate change.
According to Dhaka, the delegations agreed to pursue collaboration based on openness, inclusivity, good neighbourliness and a win-win approach.