China has approached Bangladesh to sign a deal on blue economy and maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal, days after Dhaka and New Delhi signed such an accord.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka, Mr. Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the University of Dhaka and India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for joint research on oceanography of the Bay of Bengal and an agreement for the setting up of a joint working group.
The deals are seen as a major step in maritime cooperation between the two neighbours.
A diplomatic source told The Hindu that Bangladesh had earlier approached China for the signing of a deal on maritime cooperation to facilitate capacity building, training, joint research and study. “But it had not received any response,” the source said.
The Bangladesh foreign office, on June 10, received a draft of an MoU from Beijing on maritime cooperation.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is likely to pay a two-day official visit to Bangladesh in September, marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. And China wants to sign the MoU during the visit.
Of the two deals Bangladesh and India signed in Dhaka on June 6, one was on “blue economy and maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean”, which envisages cooperation for capacity building, training and joint research collaborations, and setting up of a joint working group for further cooperation in this area.
