Chinese ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming has said China and Bangladesh are amicable neighbors and indispensable strategic partners.

“China will keep devoted to joint development with Bangladesh and the world at large,” he said at a reception celebrating the 73rd Anniversary of the Founding of People’s Republic of China at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal on Saturday night.

The envoy said Bangladesh has grown from a boat to a cruise, forging ahead in spite of headwinds and currents led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“From my own three-year experience in the country, I could tell that a stunning pearl is rising from the Bay of Bengal,” he said.

The ambassador said under the capable leadership of the two neighbouring countries, the friendly bond between Bangladesh and China will remain close and strong, for long and forever.

Among the multiple fields of cooperation between the two countries, he said, economic cooperation is undoubtedly the most eye-catching.

“Last year, our bilateral trade exceeded 25 billion USD. China has also granted 98% duty-free treatment to help boost Bangladesh`s export to China,” he added.

He said in the fight against COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery, Bangladesh and China have always been standing together. “We helped each other on anti-pandemic equipment, testing kits, vaccines, and so on,” he added.

The envoy said Chinese embassy here has restarted visa issuance to take back the Bangladeshi students stranded during the pandemic.

Planning minister MA Mannan attended the reception as the chief guest while numbers of political leaders, diplomats stationed in Dhaka, members of business community and senior journalists were present.