On December 9th, the Children’s Painting Competition Award Giving Ceremony was held at Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh. A total of 15 winners from 5 groups has received their prizes. It is worth mentioning that students from Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, also attended the prize giving ceremony online.  Along with young students, Mayor of Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Mr. Tatsuya ITO and representatives from the city sent a video message encouraging the participants and hoped that more such event will deepen Japan-Bangladesh relations.   Ambassador IWAMA Kiminori congratulated the winners and said “ Today, the prizes are given not only to the children of Bangladesh but also to the Japanese boys and girls in Bangladesh and Japan ”. He further said “I do hope that after today’s competition, many of the participants from Bangladesh show strong interest to Japan.  Embassy will give relevant information about Japan for your future activities. I do also wish that some of you will one day travel to our country and experience our culture directly. ” Honorary Prof. Syed Abul Barq Alvi, Department of Printmaking, University of Dhaka, and Md. Zahirul Hasan, Founder President, Bangladesh-Japan Cultural & Friendship Exchange Forum, and Special guest Engineer, Utpal K Das, attended the prize giving ceremony.

The total driving distance from Dhaka's commercial Motijheel district to the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in the Bangladeshi capital's Purbachal new township under construction is approximately 35 km. The hot weather and such a long distance did little to deter businesses from thronging the "Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023." Some 3,000 people, including top government officials and leading businesses, flocked to the three-day exhibition over the weekend, bringing together companies, especially those from China, under one roof. Scores of Chinese and Bangladeshi enterprises, banks, and government agencies used more than 120 standard booths to demonstrate the achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Bangladesh. "I came to this exhibition center after seeing the circular of the exhibition," said Bangladeshi Himel, who uses a single name. "I visited the Huawei stall and saw all Huawei technology and career enterprise solutions here," Himel said, adding, "I've also visited many Chinese stalls. It was very nice to visit this exhibition." Himel said Bangladeshi people are also very familiar with Chinese technology and can use an array of high-tech products made in China. In the booth of Akij Jute Mills Limited, Abiruzzaman, the senior manager, was introducing their products to the visitors passionately. "I am very happy to participate here," Abiruzzaman said, adding that "we export to China. They are very good, and their cooperation mentality impressed us." Md Mujibur Rahman, managing director of Powervision Group, was thrilled to be the dealer of Sany Heavy Industry India Pvt. Ltd. in Bangladesh. Till now, the comprehensive market share of the main construction machinery products from Sany exceeds 30 percent, and the market share was No.1 in Bangladesh for eight consecutive years. "Construction machines are essential for the BRI. According to that requirement, Sany has been in Bangladesh for the past years and will continue to be," he said. The BRI is doing development work in Bangladesh, Rahman said, adding that Bangladeshi people know what the BRI is because "development is not possible in Bangladesh without the BRI." Both the countries benefit mutually from the BRI, a bridge and catalyst in paving the way for the transfer of technology and more investment from China's public and private sectors, said Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), one of the largest associations of Bangladesh's top export earning sector, the readymade garment. He said there are big opportunities for Chinese investors to invest in Bangladesh because "there is a ready market." "We want to go forward with the BRI. Bangladesh will go forward with the help of China and the BRI." Bangladeshi government officials have also called for increased cooperation under the framework of the China-proposed BRI, which they said has brought great changes to the South Asian country. They made the remarks on Friday when speaking at the opening ceremony of "The Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023," which marks the 10th anniversary of the initiative. The BRI has already brought transformative changes to Bangladesh as "it has strengthened our role as a vital connector in the regional trade network," Lokman Hossain Miah, executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), said at the ceremony attended by nearly 400 representatives of Chinese and Bangladeshi enterprises. "Our participation in the BRI is a testament to our shared commitment. So, let us see this moment, harness the opportunities it presents and work together to build a more prosperous and interconnected world," said Miah, a senior secretary of the Bangladeshi government. Under the BRI, he said Bangladesh has implemented mega projects like the Padma Bridge rail link, the 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, and the Bangabandhu Bangladesh China-Friendship Exhibition Center, among others. Addressing the ceremony, A.H.M. Ahsan, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Bangladesh's Export Promotion Bureau, said the BRI put forward 10 years ago is "a visionary project aimed at revitalizing the connectivity among Asia, Europe and Africa." "Over the past decade, we have witnessed the transformative impact of the BRI on global trade and investment, with Bangladesh being an enthusiastic participant in this journey," he noted. Source: Xinhua

Bangladesh has become a perfect and risk-free destination for increasing Chinese investment, speakers said at a seminar in Dhaka on Saturday. The seminar, titled "China-Bangladesh Enterprises High-quality Development Forum Achievement and Way Forward", took place at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh–China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal, Dhaka.  The Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka jointly organized the event. Speakers at the seminar said that the Bangladesh government has strengthened infrastructure, ICT, roads, highways, and the power and energy sectors to promote more investment. “Bangladesh has now turned into an ideal and risk-free place for foreign investment, especially from China,” they said.  The speakers also highlighted that the Chinese government and businesses have acted as key contributors to Bangladesh's development.  The current development scenario in Bangladesh is boosting confidence to draw more investment from China, and Chinese counterparts should take this advantage, they said. However, during the open discussion session at the end of the seminar, Chinese investors in Bangladesh voiced complaints about harassment over new working conditions, customs, and visa issues. Addressing the seminar as the chief guest, Economic Relations Division (ERD) Additional Secretary AHM Jahangir said that the Chinese investment in Bangladesh is visible enough. "Chinese companies operating in Bangladesh are making higher profits than others. Investing in Bangladesh is less risky for them, leading us to anticipate increased Chinese investment in the future," he said.  Mentioning the nature of Chinese investments in Bangladesh, he further said: "Most are G2G projects and others are government tenders. The internal procedure for finalizing these projects with China is slow. I urge the Chinese government to reduce the time of processing the investments in Bangladesh.” In his welcome speech, Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) President and CCECC Bangladesh Limited Chairman Ke Changliang said: “China is the infrastructure construction hero in the world, even in Bangladesh. Chinese companies are quite active in different important mega projects.”  “A total of 12 roads and 21 bridges totalling a length of 550 kilometres have been built, while seven railway lines with a total length of 541.9 kilometres have been constructed by Chinese enterprises,” he said.  “Also, Chinese enterprises have invested in various energy fields such as coal, solar, and wind power plants, making the energy mix increasingly diversified,” he added.  He further said that Chinese companies now have made significant investments in the manufacturing sector and set up manufacturing plants that created half a million jobs in Bangladesh. “In the EPZ area, 25% of investors are Chinese. Chinese companies have been working hard and made a great achievement and contribution to the rapid socio-economic development of Bangladesh,” he said.  “Looking into the future, we commit to strengthen ties with all parties in Bangladesh, to prompt the bilateral economic cooperation to a higher level,” he added.  Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) General Secretary Al Mamun Mridha said: "Bangladesh and China have a remarkable journey of high-quality development, innovation, and collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative."  "Chinese companies have been instrumental in transforming our nation, contributing to various sectors of our economy,” he said.  “In the coming years, we aspire to further strengthen our ties, explore new avenues of cooperation, and continue to work towards mutual prosperity,” he added. Mentioning the Belt and Road Initiative as a beacon of hope, the BCCCI general secretary hoped that it would “continue to illuminate the path toward high-quality development and a brighter future for both nations”. Deputy Country Manager of PowerChina in Bangladesh Han Kun said: In Bangladesh, we are investing the most in the energy sector. This is because there is no alternative to electricity or renewable energy for economic development.” “There is a lot of development happening in the power sector. The prime minister has stated Bangladesh's target is to achieve 40% of renewable energy by 2041. But this target is far off; there is a huge gap in fulfilling this goal," he added.  Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said:  “Chinese investors should invest more in the RMG sector of Bangladesh. Currently, the RMG sector of Bangladesh is playing one of the leading roles in the economic sector. China can help us take this industry forward with its advanced technology.” After the discussion at the seminar, in the open session, Chinese investors in Bangladesh complained about harassment over new business conditions and visa issues. They highlighted concerns regarding the time delay associated with the imposition of customs duties, taxes, and visa issues. Later, Sung Yong, commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka, sought assistance from the BCCCI leaders and relevant government officials present at the seminar on addressing these complaints.

Oleg Nikolayevich Avdeev, Russian Consul General to South India, on Saturday organised an India-Russia friendship walkathon saying that the event "shows how strong our friendship is." "Diplomatic relations between the two countries started in 1947, even before India formally attained independence. Every year we mark this event--the anniversary of this event with different functions. For a few years, it's walkathon, this is the second time we organised it. This is a very symbolic event which...our friendship, which shows how strong is our friendship, it will remain forever and will go from strength to strength," the Russian Consul General said. The India-Russia friendship walkathon is dedicated to the 76th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and India and was held at Besant Nagar Elliots beach road in Chennai. At the walkathon, people were holding Indian and Russian flags in their hands. "Today, a cycling rally celebrating the 76th anniversary of #RussiaIndia diplomatic relations took place. The event was organized by the Russian Embassy together with the Confederation of Indian Cyclists. Hindi-Rusi bhai-bhai!" tweeted the Russian Embassy in India. Speaking about Indian medical students, Avdeev said, "All students are welcome to go to Russia for studies. Every year we see an increase in the number of students going there for medical studies. All condition is created for the students and most of the universities offer education in the English language which is convenient for students. They don't have to spend one year to learn the language, but in any case, they learn the Russian language which is a bonus, so they get a medical education and also get proficiency in the Russian language which increases their future prospects -- it gets wider." Meanwhile, Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova conveyed to India during her recent visit that the Indian medical students, who had returned to New Delhi following Russia's invasion of Ukraine will be allowed to take a key examination from India. According to the official release of the Ministry of External Affairs, Emine Dzhaparova held talks with the Indian side on several issues. Regarding the Indian medical students, the Deputy FM mentioned that Ukraine will allow foreign medical students to take the Unified State Qualification Exam in their country of domicile. The Russian Consul General also said that trade between the two countries is "growing exponentially." "Trade has been growing for the past year -- growing exponentially. India had always good relations with Russia - trade and economy, for many years we had a Ruble-Rupee basis for our foreign trade. Now, again we are switching to national currencies in our trade. It speaks volumes about our cooperation. I think we will witness a growing volume of trade in the coming years," he said. Avdeev also spoke on Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. "Kudankulam is the biggest Russian-Indian project, actually, it is a flagship costing billions of dollars. Two of the blocks are already functioning, two are in an advanced stage of construction and two more constructions has started last year in the remaining blocks. It has been going progressively. When it will be completed, all six blocks in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India, there will be no power shortage and no problem of electricity. This is a huge project and it will solve all electricity problems and the economy of South India, particularly Tamil Nadu will be growing, reaching the target of the trillion-dollar economy by the year 2030," he said. Speaking on the tourism prospects between Russia and India, Avdeev said that South India has become the hub of Russian tourists due to "many attractions." "The flow of tourists to India is growing. We registered a growing number of tourists. Last year we had a Russian-Indian fair - tourist and travel fair in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), that was a good starting point for new prospects in tourism exchange between the two countries and this year another (second) fair of travel and tourism is also going to be held in Trivandrum later this year and it will give a fillip to the trade exchange between the two countries. Many tourists are coming to South India because there are many attractions here, Russian tourists are discovering South India," said the Russian Consul General.

Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's official visit to India from April 1 to 3 reflects Delhi and Kathmandu's old friendship which flourished back in 1950 when both countries came together and signed the India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship. This treaty was the beginning of everlasting peace and friendship between the two governments and their unique relationship of friendship can be characterized by open borders and deep-rooted people-to-people contacts of kinship and culture. According to the data from 2014, around 6,00,000 Indians are living or domiciled in Nepal while nearly eight million Nepalese citizens live and work in India. During the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, India emphasized developing the regional hydro potential, grid connectivity and gas pipelines. Earlier, in 1971, both the countries had a Power Exchange Agreement to meet the power requirements in the border areas of the two countries, taking advantage of each other's transmission infrastructure. Not only in electricity, but in the time of coronavirus also when the entire world was struggling to get the vaccination for their people, India handed over vaccines to Nepal under grants assistance in sync with its 'Neighbourhood First' policy. Under the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, India had gifted around one million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nepal. Nepal has also placed an order for two million vaccines with Pune-based pharmaceutical company Serum Institute of India (SII). Further, India and Nepal are working together to build the Kathmandu-Raxaul railway line, which was signed in the year 2021, that would link Kathmandu with the Indian border town of Raxaul in Bihar. The Buddhist circuit train already in place covers the important destinations connected to the life of Buddha in India and Nepal over eight days. New Delhi not only help India to grow economically or in energy regions but also assist during the earthquake. Earlier, India had pledged one billion US dollars as support for earthquake reconstruction; one-fourth of it was committed as grant assistance to be utilized for health, cultural heritage, housing and education sectors. Even back in 2015, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, the Indian Government dispatched National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and special aircraft with rescue and relief materials to Nepal. India also sent a medical team for helping innocent lives in Nepal. India helped in restoring three power sub-stations in Kathmandu valley. Over the last five years and more, India has substantially fulfilled its commitment under various priority sectors identified by the Government of Nepal. Recently, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has mentioned that the reconstruction of 50,000 owner-driven houses in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts under Indian assistance has been completed. The projects in the remaining sectors of health, education and culture are also in progress. It is important to note that India is funding the reconstruction of 70 schools and a library, 132 health facilities and 28 cultural heritage sector projects in various earthquake-affected districts of Nepal. With Indian assistance, many infrastructural projects are either being undertaken or nearing completion or have been concluded in Nepal, with the primary objective of bolstering trade by way of improved connectivity. Approximately INR 5,253 crore worth of road projects are being (or have been) implemented, which would benefit India and Nepal. A category of projects that deserves special mention is road connectivity between the two countries. The projects include a 144 km road from Rupaidiha to Barabanki (INR 1,338 crore), a 184 km road from Sonauli to Gorakhpur (approximately INR 570 crore), the Fobesganj-Jogbani road as well as a road linking Piprakodi to Raxaul (INR 429 crore) and 10 other roads costing around INR 500 crore. India's "Act East Policy" and "First neighbourhood policy" play an important role in making this friendship stronger. The connectivity has assumed greater significance with the formation of regional and sub-regional groupings like BBIN and BIMSTEC. The physical infrastructure being built with Indian assistance will help Nepal boost her trade in the region. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Deuba during his official visit to India is also scheduled to visit Varanasi where he will visit the holy Kashi Vishwanath temple and a Nepali temple also known as 'Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Mahadev Mandir'. The Nepali temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was envisaged by Nepali King Rana Bahadur Shah who was exiled to the city from 1800 to 1804 A.D. The temple belongs to the Nepal government and is one of the most famous temples of the holy city, Varanasi. Source: ANI

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, MP said that Bangabandhu laid a strong foundation of Bangladesh-India relationship based on respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and democratic norms and values. He was speaking at the inaugural session of tenth round of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue, titled - Reliving Bangabandhu’s Vision for India – Bangladesh Friendship this morning in Shimla, India. The dialogue has been organized by the India Foundation and the Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies and will conclude on 19 February 2022. The Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue is a forum to bring together key stakeholders including think tanks and civil society from both the countries to discuss issues of relevance. The ninth round of the dialogue was organized in Cox’s Bazar in 2019. The inaugural session was also attended by Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs of India, Ram Madhav, Member, Governing Council of India Foundation. Md. Shahriar Alam also stressed on the unwavering commitment of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to ensure peace and stability in the region and beyond. Guided by the principles of Bangabandhu, Bangladesh believes in peace and stability, so that every country may devote its resources and energies to the pressing task of advancing the welfare of its own people, he added. With regard to people-to-people contact, the state minister highlighted on the role of policy makers, media and civil society to create positive narratives. Reflecting on Bangladesh’s impressive economic growth, the state minister said that it creates newer opportunities for the partners of Bangladesh.   Presidium Member of Awami League Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Deputy Minister for Education Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, MP, Mirza Azam MP, Ashim Kumar Ukil MP, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran are also attending the dialogue including among others. Source: Press release

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, our foreign policy is very clear- Friendship to all, malice to none. We do not want to engage war with any country, we want friendship to all. Maintaining our friendship we want to develop our country socio-economically. If we are under attack, considering that situation we want to take prior preparation so that we have the strength to face any country. The Prime Minister said this while virtually raising flags of the eight units and organizations of the Bangladesh Army from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital on Wednesday. In her speech to the Bangladesh Army the premier said, Bangladesh Army is the symbol of confidence and belief of the countrymen. You have to go ahead attaining the confidence accordingly. She said, to work for the country as a member of army the first and foremost need is professionalism and training. To attain the desired quality of professionalism all of you have to be professionally efficient and imbued with honest and gracious life instigated by social and religious values. You have to be ever prepared to face any internal and external threat for saving the constitution and sovereignty of the country. We want to be prepared. The head of government said, we do not want hostility, we do not want war. Because, I have experienced the devastating feature of war. We are the sufferer of war. So we do not want to engage in that kind of conflict anymore. AH