Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to carry Dhaka-Tokyo ties to a new height on her high-profile visit to Japan.
Analysts said Ms. Hasina is understandably seeking to balance her relations with China and Japan to push the country’s goals for economic development.
Seeking duty-free access for more Bangladeshi products to Chinese market, the Bangladesh leader assured China a separate economic and industrial zone in Chittagong for Chinese investors.
As a big step forward, Bangladesh has tasked a Chinese company to build the Padma bridge, the country’s longest multi-purpose bridge on the river Padma at a cost of Tk 121 billion ($1.56 billion). During her five-day visit to Japan in the last week of May, Ms. Hasina had signed a joint statement with her counterpart Shinzo Abe to seal Japan’s pledge to extend up to ¥600 billion ($5.8 billion) in economic assistance to the country over the next four to five years.
