China wants the next general election in Bangladesh to be smooth and fair as it has a huge investment here, said Li Guang Zun, economic and commercial counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.
"We have a huge investment here and a lot of Chinese companies and personnel are working in this country. And we have a concern about them. So, we hope that the next general elections will be held smoothly and fairly", Li said at a press conference at the Embassy on Thursday.
The press conference was organised to brief the media about the six-day China International Import Expo that is set to kick off in Shanghai on November 6.
About the prospect of the free trade agreement (FTA), he said the negotiation in this regard was initiated last year and both countries had agreed to conduct a joint feasibility study.
The next meeting of the FTA working group will be held in June, he said, adding that if Bangladesh shows interest about the FTA following the study, China would consider it.
Li also said the present volume of bilateral trade amounts to US $16 billion with the balance heavily tilted towards China. Bangladesh’s export to China is worth only one billion dollar.
To reduce the trade imbalance, he suggested that Bangladesh should concentrate on product diversification and quality.
