China has arranged six chartered flights to take back the Bangladeshi students who were studying at different universities in China but had to come back due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The first of these flights will take off on Monday (today), said Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming.
He was addressing a function organised to mark the 73rd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China held at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center on Saturday.
The embassy has restarted issuing visas, and it will arrange six chartered flights for the students, said the envoy.
Terming the economic cooperation between the two countries 'most eye-catching', Mr Li told the event that bilateral trade between Bangladesh and China has exceeded US$25 billion.
China has also granted 98 per cent duty-free treatment to help boost Bangladesh's export to China, he said.
About the Chinese projects in Bangladesh, the ambassador said major projects funded or constructed by China, including the Payra Power Plant and the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant, have been completed.
The Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center and the Bangamata 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge built with Chinese aid have also been completed and put into use, Mr Li added.
"Other projects under construction, such as the Single Point Mooring System and the Karnaphuli Tunnel, have also made sound progress and will be completed soon."
China and Bangladesh are amicable neighbours and indispensable strategic partners, the envoy said, adding that friendly interactions between the two countries could be traced back to centuries ago.
"In the 1950s, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited China twice. Throughout the 47 years since we built diplomatic ties, our profound and time-tested friendship has been passed on for generations," said the ambassador.
"In 2016, President Xi paid a historic visit to Bangladesh, and the two leaders ushered a new chapter for our bilateral relation by uplifting it to Strategic Partnership of Cooperation."
Referring to the recent visits of the speaker of Chinese parliament and the Chinese foreign minister, the envoy said, during the interactions, the two sides renewed commitments to traditional friendship, reiterated the one-China principle, agreed to deepen strategic integration, and further enhanced practical cooperation, thereby jointly infused power of stability to the region and beyond against an uneasy international environment.
Planning Minister Abdul Mannan was the chief guest at the programme.
