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Bangladesh is the perfect destination for Chinese investments, speakers say at Showcase Bangladesh

Jan 25, 2021

Bangladesh is the perfect destination for Chinese investments, speakers say at Showcase Bangladesh

BIDA and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) has hosted a virtual event which showcased the partnership potential between Bangladesh and China and highlighted emerging strategic opportunities in a shifting global landscape.

Held on Jan 25, the webinar titled ‘Showcase Bangladesh’ was joined by over 400 delegates representing Chinese public and private sectors, policymakers, investors, bankers and economists, along with prominent leaders from Bangladesh’s private and public sector.

BIDA Executive Chairman Md. Sirazul Islam delivered the keynote presentation and highlighted opportunities for Chinese investors in RMG, leather, pharmaceuticals/API & medical equipment, software & IT, agro & food processing, agro tools & machinery, electronics, automobile and shipbuilding. “Bangladesh is a rapidly growing economy. At the time of the global pandemic, we had one of the highest GDP growth rates in the region. We are also systematically improving the investment climate for investors,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, SCB CEO Naser Ezaz Bijoy said, “As Chinese firms seek new ports-of-call to expand integration to global value chains, Bangladesh-China partnerships hold a unique promise: deep ties and familiarity of centuries, but new and untapped opportunities. To fully leverage these opportunities, a close partnership between banks, investors and governments will be critical. Today’s summit is our first step to establish the platform for this collaboration.”

Hon’ble Minister of Planning M. A. Mannan MP addressed the webinar as chief guest.  Private Sector Industry & Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister, Salman Fazlur Rahman MP also spoke to the investors. Chinese Ambassador H.E. Mr. Li Jiming, Bangladesh Ambassador to China H. E. Mr. Mahbub Uz Zaman, FBCCI President Sheikh Fazle Fahim and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury also took part in the outreach. 

Lin Weiqiang, President, Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh; Zhuang Lifeng, President of Overseas Chinese Association in Bangladesh; Zed Chen, Regional Finance Director, South Asia, Oppo, spoke to the audience about their experience as existing investors.

The programme was implemented as an initiative of BIDA and SCB, which signed an MoU on Jan 5 to together promote foreign investments.