Bangladesh
Ukraine Crisis China is not taking Russia's side on Ukraine issue: Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, March 14: Beijing is not taking Russia's side on the Ukraine issue as China wants a peaceful solution to the ongoing Ukraine crisis through dialogue.
The remarks were made by Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming at a press conference titled 'Spring Dialogue with China' at a hotel in the city on Sunday organized by the Chinese Embassy.
He said China believes that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected and protected, and that the goals and principles of the UN Charter should be sincerely adhered to. In this case, China's position is consistent and clear, and equally applicable to the Ukraine issue.
Mentioning that both Russia and Ukraine are friends of China, the ambassador said that China has advised them to refrain from emotional attitudes towards the crisis and discuss it in a calm manner.
Referring to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen's "Bangladesh wants peace" statement, Jiming said that China wants the same.
When asked about a recent report in Nikkei Asia titled "India is concerned about China's plans to deploy missiles in Bangladesh", the ambassador said "China will not build military bases on any foreign land, including Bangladesh."
The Ambassador shared his views on various issues including Bangladesh-China relations, Rohingya crisis, infrastructure, trade and investment, quad, Indo-Pacific strategy and Taiwan issue.
On the Rohingya issue, Jimming said the current Myanmar authorities have shown some "constructive" attitude towards the issue and have made some progress in initiating the repatriation of forcibly displaced people to Rakhine.
"We are trying our best to repatriate the Rohingyas," he added.
Without elaborating, the ambassador said China hopes to make some progress this year in resolving the crisis through Chinese mediation between Bangladesh and Myanmar for the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas.
Bangladesh is currently sheltering more than 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district. In the last four and a half years, not a single Rohingya has returned to Myanmar, even though Myanmar has agreed to repatriate them after two repatriation attempts failed due to lack of confidence among the Rohingyas in security and safety in Rakhine State.
