Footage by CCTV
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed pledged on Tuesday to build an economic corridor that will link Bangladesh, Burma, China and India, according to a report by Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.
On a state visit to Beijing on Tuesday, Wajed met with Xi to ink deals on several projects, including a study on flood prevention and the construction of a tunnel project under the Karnaphuli River in southeastern Bangladesh.
Xi welcomed Bangladesh’s participation in constructing a part of the economic corridor, which he dubbed the “Maritime Silk Road”, said the Xinhua report.
“Bangladesh is an important country along the Maritime Silk Road,” said Xi, who first proposed the concept last year.
Wajed said the four-nation economic route will be significant for the growth and development of South Asia.
The agreement comes a day after Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin promised that Burma’s transition will not affect Chinese relations.
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According to CCTV, Liu stressed on Monday that China will not interfere in Burma’s internal affairs, and opposes any pressure or sanctions imposed upon the Southeast Asian country.
“We will continue to support [Burma] to explore and choose the path of development in accordance with its national conditions,” Liu said when speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN East Asia Summit in Rangoon.
He added that all parties should be working on building a “regional security structure” in order to reduce conflict and maintain stability in Asia.