PTI
Beijing
China on Friday congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on its landslide victory in the general elections, expressing readiness to work with Dhaka to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and take forward the Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
The BNP bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, known to be close to Pakistan, secured 68 seats. The Awami League party of Hasina was barred from contesting the 13th Parliamentary elections, which witnessed 59.44 per cent voter turnout.
China noted that Bangladesh had a steady and smooth general election and congratulated the BNP on winning the election, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
As a traditional friend and neighbour of Bangladesh, China supports Bangladesh in advancing its domestic political agenda, he said.
China has stepped up its investment and diplomatic outreach in Dhaka, most recently signing a defence deal to build a drone factory near Bangladesh’s border with India.
China stands ready to work with it to carry forward the time-honoured friendship, deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and practical cooperation in various areas, and further strengthen the China-Bangladesh comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said.
China had close ties with Bangladesh for the past decades and carried out heavy investments under its flagship BRI projects during the erstwhile Awami League government headed by Sheikh Hasina. After her ouster following nationwide protests in August 2024, the outgoing interim government led by Muhammad Yunus sought to develop closer strategic ties with Beijing to counter India’s influence in Bangladesh.
