China extends support to Bangladesh’s interim government

ISTANBUL

China extended its support Thursday to Bangladesh’s interim government and planned elections in the South Asian country.

Beijing “supports the interim government of Bangladesh in governing, supports Bangladesh in holding general elections smoothly and embarking on a development path that suits its national conditions,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain.

The two met in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, according to an statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang said that China was willing to “always be a trustworthy good friend, good neighbor and good partner” to Bangladesh.

Cooperation between the two countries “is mutually beneficial,” with China imposing zero tariffs on Bangladeshi products, creating opportunities for its development, he noted.

In contrast, he noted that the US imposes a 35% tariff on Bangladesh, an action that is both “unreasonable and unethical.”

Bangladesh’s biggest share of textile exports go to the US and now face tariffs of up to 35%.

The interim government in Bangladesh has announced that the country’s general election will be held in April 2026 following the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in an uprising in August last year.