PORIMOL PALMA

The recent meeting aimed at boosting trilateral cooperation among China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh might have deeper geopolitical implications, foreign policy experts have said, urging Dhaka to move cautiously considering the regional and global geopolitical dynamics.

They also questioned the rationale for the trilateral meeting given that Bangladesh is under an interim administration and already maintains bilateral relations with China and Pakistan.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 9th China-South Asia Exposition and the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation meeting in Kunming, Yunnan province of China, on June 19.

Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, and Pakistani Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui attended the meeting in person.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch joined via video link.

Following the trilateral meeting, each of the three nations issued separate statements.

While Bangladesh called it an “informal meeting”, Pakistan termed it as “the inaugural meeting of the trilateral mechanism”.

In their statements, China and Pakistan said the three sides agreed to explore and implement cooperation projects in such areas as trade, maritime affairs, climate change, agriculture, human resources, education, and culture.

Three countries agreed to establish a joint working group to implement the understandings reached during the meeting, their statements added.

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