BD keen on air link

Bangladesh wants to see air connectivity between the beach town of Cox's Bazar and Kunming, a modern capital city and transportation hub of China's southern Yunnan province.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam raised the issue during a bilateral meeting with senior adviser to Yunnan Province government of China Li Xiuling at state guesthouse Padma yesterday. During the meeting, Alam requested Xiuling to introduce Biman flight on Cox's Bazar-Kunming route on a trial basis, reports UNB.

He also sought Chinese support in addressing Rohingya problems in Bangladesh, according to the Foreign Ministry. Talking about the importance of regional cooperation, the State Minister laid emphasis on effective role from Myanmar in taking forward the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) Economic Corridor initiative.

Xiuling said many global leaders will attend the Belt and Road Forum to be held on May 14 to 15 in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and host a roundtable summit of the leaders.

The state minister said a minister-level delegation will take part in the Belt and Road Forum. Bangladesh formally joined Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'Road and Belt Initiative', a drive which has already drawn the close attention of the world, during the Chinese President's visit to Dhaka.Bangladesh and China signed a document of cooperation focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative.