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Peace and fair contest, not rivalry

Says PM at WEF discussion

Unb, Dalian, China
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday placed a five-point proposal, including creation of an environment of peace and fair competition by all countries staying away from rivalries, to make any Indo-Pacific initiative a success.
"Over a five-decade of my journey in politics tells me that any initiative in Indo-Pacific should include creation of an environment of peace-harmony-stability of all countries; focusing on entire aspects of sustainable development; engaging countries based on mutual trust and mutual respect for mutual benefit; focusing on wealth creation for all, development must be inclusive; and creating fair competition, not rivalries," she said.
Hasina was addressing a panel discussion during the "Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2019" of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Dalian International Conference Centre in Dalian city.
The July 1-3 meeting, also known as WEF Summer Davos, is being held with the theme of "Leadership 4.0 - Succeeding in a New Era of Globalisation".
Hasina said, "We sometimes look just in terms of the capacity of a few large economies or their needs. But we must address the key concerns of smaller communities or relatively weaker economies for our collective journey and sustainable world."
She said it is widely recognised that the Indo-Pacific region is the most dynamic in the world, while the Bay of Bengal, home to 1.5 billion people, is equally a rich and growing region.
"People living around our Bay of Bengal have so much potential to develop and grow. There is a tendency to look at Indo-Pacific in respect of trade or security issues."
Talking about bilateral issues, the PM said Bangladesh amicably delimited its maritime boundary with Myanmar and India. "And now, Bangladesh and India are joining hands to uniquely develop our trans-
boundary river navigation."
About geopolitics, she said, "Yes, geopolitics will always be part of life. But we've to carefully appreciate and balance issues. We cannot trade off long-term interests for short-term gains. A cooperative yet competitive environment among all countries is the insurance of our shared prosperity."
In reply to a question as to how Bangladesh maintains good relations with China and India simultaneously, Hasina said the principle of Bangladesh's foreign policy is "friendship to all, malice to none”.
"We don't want to engage in a war or conflict with anyone. Any issue between them [any two countries] is their internal matter. We've been working to maintain good relations with all and so far we have gained success in this regard," the PM was quoted as saying by Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque. He was briefing reporters after the panel discussion.
Asked whether Bangladesh faces a debt trap taking up a number of mega projects with foreign loan, Hasina said, "Our external debt is around 14.3 percent of the GDP - clearly it is a sign of a healthy economy."
China is involved in some mega infrastructure projects in Bangladesh. Chinese companies are employed in the construction of the longest 6.9km river bridge in Bangladesh, which is fully funded by the Bangladesh government, she said. “Many people talk about debt trap. I've a simple
answer- as long as these mega projects are in our people's interest, has the right pay-off and negotiated rightly, we must not be worried."
In reply to another query, the PM said Bangladesh is ready to join Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as the country is always interested in joining any connectivity and regional cooperation.
Delegates, including heads of state and government, businessmen and civil society members, from more than 100 countries across the world joined the WEF meeting in Dalian, a trading and financial centre in Northeastern Asia.
WEF FOUNDER MEETS PM
The WEF will arrange a large event in Davos, Switzerland, in 2021 with its focus on Bangladesh. The organisation will also arrange an event in Bangladesh next year on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The decisions came at a meeting held between Hasina and WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab on the sidelines of its annual meeting in Dalian.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Bangladesh foreign secretary said
Schwab confirmed that he would attend the WEF event, to be held in Bangladesh next year, focusing on Bangladesh and Bangabandhu.
The WEF founder highly praised the PM for sheltering over one million Rohingyas in Bangladesh.