The majority of Bangladeshis have a positive impression about China, shows a recent survey conducted by the Centre for the Genocide Studies of Dhaka University.
According to the survey, 46 per cent of respondents have good impression about China and 14 per cent have ‘very good’ impression.
However, it is critical to note that 34 per cent of the respondents remained neutral and 6 per cent said their impression about China is poor.
“The survey report highlights that Bangladesh and China have enjoyed cordial and friendly bilateral relations since their official diplomatic relations on October 4 in 1975,” said Professor Imtiaz Ahmed, director of the Centre.
Essentially, the relationship between the two countries has been elevated from an economic to a strategic partnership, he added.
“The survey demonstrates that the respondents are more optimistic about the Chinese national image as a friendly country, Chinese people are friendly or peaceful,” he said.
The respondents significantly perceive China as a positive development partner of Bangladesh and there is an urge to remove trade barriers between the countries and decrease the trade deficit.
The survey respondents expressed their concerns regarding the status of Uighur Muslims in China, there are expectations that the Chinese government will consider the matter with utmost importance, allowing them equal rights.
The survey respondents also expressed their dissatisfaction regarding Chinese roles in resolving the plight of Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar.
An overwhelming number of respondents expressed their positive attitudes toward bilateral issues about 70per cent of the respondents qualified bilateral relations as either good or very good.
The visit of China's President Xi Jinping in 2016, the signing of 27 agreements worth several billions of dollars, the involvement of China in mega projects, pandemic-related cooperation, cooperation in energy production, zero tariffs for 98 per cent of Bangladeshi products in the Chinese domestic markets, defence cooperation -all these have positively impacted in shaping such a positive outlook.
20 per cent of the respondents have also qualified the relationship as a strategic partnership.
It should be mentioned that China is the only country with which Bangladesh signed Defence Cooperation Agreement in 2002. China supplied about 75 per cent of Bangladesh's total arms imports from 2010 to 2019, the survey report said.
Apart from this heavy reliance on China for military equipment, Bangladesh bought the first ever two Chinese-made Type 035G Ming class submarines from China and built bases with Chinese assistance.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Bangladesh imported $4,428 million worth of arms and technology between 2000 to 2020 period. Out of this figure, China remains the largest source of imports for Bangladesh, amounting to 2,886 million, the report said.
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