Editorial notes: China presence in Bangladesh is well visible thru many projects across Bangladesh. There are many success stories published in the past. Some TV channels have routine cultural shows specific to China and their involvement. If you view the positive impact, you will see Chinses product become part of Bangladeshi people life. There largest visible impact can be seen on transportation industries, roads & highway development. Enjoy the article published in local newspaper below. Dak Pion 11 July 2023
7 years of Belt and Road Initiative: China makes its presence felt everywhere
China has made a strong presence in Bangladesh’s road transport infrastructures, building a total length of 550
kilometres which include the country’s largest road-rail Padma Bridge and first-ever underwater roadway
Bangladesh Karnaphuli River Tunnel Project.
Though this bilateral partnership has been in place for decades, China now takes stock of how much
it has deepened in the last seven years since Bangladesh joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Bangladesh is linked with one of the six economic corridors planned in the Chinese President Xi
Jinping’s ambitious infrastructure plan, also coined New Silk Road, that looks to connect East Asia to
Europe by road and sea.
Most BRI projects in Bangladesh are in the energy and transport sectors, whose need for
infrastructural investment would be 1.5% of GDP in 2040. To drive economic growth to achieve Vision
2041, Bangladesh needs to fill in the infrastructure gaps where China’s BRI comes in a bigger way.
“The 12 highway and 21 bridge projects represented by the Padma Multipurpose Bridge are the
extension of the present-day ‘Silk Road’ in Bangladesh,” Yao Wen, ambassador of China to
Bangladesh, said in a programme in Dhaka on Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and
Road Initiative, and also the 7th anniversary of Bangladesh’s participation in the Belt and Road
Initiative.
Paksey Bridge, 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, Dhaka Bypass, Dhaka-Khulna (N8) Project,
Dhaka Elevated Expressway and Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Highway Project are among other major
road and bridge projects.
Padma Bridge Rail Link Project, Tongi to Bhairab double track line, Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar Railway
are among the seven railway lines being built with a total length of 541.9 kilometres.
“These roads and highways, bridges, and railways have played an essential role in Bangladesh’s
transportation network, improved the movement of goods and people across the country, and are
casting a vital part for the economic growth,” said Ke Changliang, president of Chinese Enterprises
Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) that groups over 260 Chinese firms operating here in areas
ranging from trade, garment to infrastructure construction, communication technology, finance,
shipping, energy, logistics etc.
Chinese firms are engaged in 27 power and energy projects with more than 50% of Bangladesh’s
share, contributing largely to Bangladesh’s power generation capacity.
“Chinese enterprises have invested in various energy fields such as coal, solar, and wind power
plants, making the energy mix increasingly diversified,” he said, listing Payra 1320MW ultra-
supercritical coal-fired power plant, Khulna 330MW Combined Cycle (Duel fuel) Power Plant-Project,
Liz/Lida Rooftop Solar System among major power projects.
Project officials upbeat with outcomes
The list includes installation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Pipeline Expansion project at
Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar, which had a test run on 2 July, marking Bangladesh’s entry into a new
era of transporting imported oil straight to refinery from deep-sea vessels through pipeline.
A total of 220km pipelines, both offshore and onshore, were built under the Tk8,341 crore SPM
project, which will save Tk800 crore annually in oil transportation for Bangladesh Petroleum
Corporation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the country’s first fuel oil pipeline project in
August, project director Sharif Hasnat told The Business Standard after the trial commissioning on
Sunday.
Chinese companies have also invested and provided expertise in the municipal services sector to
improve the water supply and sanitation systems and reduce pollution in Bangladesh’s cities.
Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant Project in Dhaka is a flagship project, with two-thirds of the
Tk3,482 crore cost coming from China as project aid through China Exim Bank.
The project will treat sewerage from Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Basundhara, Mohakhali, Tejgaon,
Moghbazar, Niketon before releasing water into the Balu River.
The project is set to be inaugurated on 30 July.
“It will also save the scenic Hatirjheel lake from further pollution by diverting sewage from a vast area
of the capital city through Rampura Khal,” Project Director Mohsin Ali Mia, who is also an executive
engineer at Dhaka Wasa. said at a programme in the Chinese embassy in Dhaka on Sunday.
The sludge left after sewerage treatment will generate 40-50 tonnes of fly ash daily, which will be sold
to cement factories, he informed.
The Dhaka Wasa official also spoke about the impact of the project in local job creation, community
service and use of local materials during the project period.
Speaking at the same event in the Chinese embassy on Sunday, Dewan Md Abdul Kader, Executive
Engineer and project manager at Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, who oversaw the main bridge
construction, highlighted the impacts of the massive $3.8 billion bridge, built fully with Bangladesh’s
own fund, on the life and economy of the 21 south-western districts it connects with Dhaka.
He also spoke of his personal skill gains from his association with the Chinese expertise engaged in
the construction of the main bridge, which has two other components – 400KV electricity line and gas
pipeline across the mighty river.
He also mentioned about the huge rail-link project which will connect Dhaka to districts across the
Padma over the road-rail bridge.
Md. Shahid Ullah Bhuyan, Head of Facility Management Division at Payra 1320MW Thermal Power
Plant, spoke about how fast the project work completed by Bangladesh-China Power Company
Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture formed following an agreement signed in Beijing during Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit in 2014.
The BRI projects got a boost during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Dhaka in 2016, when
China promised about $40 billion investment in Bangladesh’s infrastructures.
Padma Bridge rail link and Payra power plant were among the eight projects signed in 2016, followed
by the 48-kilometre Dhaka Bypass – the country’s first tollway – project signed in 2018, according to
an analysis by the local think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue on how BRI started to roll out in
Bangladesh.
Job creation and beyond
So far, these Chinese enterprises have created approximately 550,000 employment opportunities for
Bangladeshis, said CEAB President Ke Changliang.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, speaking at the same event, also appreciated the role of Chinese
enterprises in enhancing Bangladesh’s infrastructure, particularly in communication infrastructure,
energy, and power. “The factories and facilities established by Chinese companies have facilitated
the growth of Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector, generating employment opportunities and driving
economic growth,” he noted.
Chinese enterprises are also promoting training, vocational programmes, innovations and technology
transfer, apart from taking care of environmental protection, said CEAB President Ke Changliang.
Chinese companies introduced advanced environmental technologies and equipment to improve the
environmental standards of production processes, reducing pollution and damage to the environment,
he said.
Chinese officials and entrepreneurs were happy to recognise how social responsibility of Chinese
enterprises helped local communities through cross-cultural engagements and people-to-people
interactions.
The embassy honoured six role models. Alifa Chin, the Bangladeshi girl born on the Chinese Navy’s
“Peace Ark” hospital ship in 2010, was one of them. Chinese Ptresident Xi Jinping earlier replied to a
letter from the girl whose last name means “China” in Bangla.
The embassy will send the girl and her family to China this year.
Israt Jahan, a Chinese translator turned into a safety supervision engineer through China-sponsored
training project, a long-serving driver Masud Rana, Hasan Shahriar, a medical graduate from China,
project staff Hasibuddin Talukder and Rokon Uddin were also given “China-Bangladesh Ambassador
Friendship Award”.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and also the 7th anniversary of
Bangladesh’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese embassy in Bangladesh is
taking the lead in writing a research report regarding the Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh,” the
ambassador said. The report, which will be launched in near future, will comprehensively
demonstrate the current situation and future development direction of China-Bangladesh friendship,
he added.