The political arena in the country is upbeat about the forthcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Major political parties, including the Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party, have expressed hopes that the visit would open a historic avenue in the ties between Dhaka and Beijing. The ruling Awami League (AL) has hailed the Chinese president’s visit and termed it as an achievement of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. The ruling party leaders said the visit would have a positive impact on the country’s politics and economy.
The leaders claimed that the upcoming visit proves that China, alongside India, is with the Sheikh Hasina government. “It is an achievement of the present government. Especially after the January 5 election, many thought that the government did not have foreign support. But Xi’s visit will prove that other countries, including China and India, are with Sheikh Hasina,” AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Independent yesterday.
AL International Affairs Secretary Lt. Col. (retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan said the visit would enhance Bangladesh’s importance in world politics. “Besides, we expect the Chinese delegation to invest a huge amount of money in Bangladesh, further boosting our country’s economy,” he added.
The BNP believes that Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to Bangladesh would open windows of opportunity for the country’s development.
Talking to The Independent, senior BNP leaders termed the Chinese president’s visit very important for Bangladesh, pointing out that it would help foster the deep-rooted bilateral ties between the two countries. They expressed hope that the Chinese president would be able to spare some time from his busy schedule and hold a meeting with BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said he had learned from the newspaper that the visit of China’s president would open up prospects of Chinese investment in Bangladesh on a larger scale. “We have had bilateral relations with China for a long time. The relations with China virtually started from the time of former president Ziaur Rahman,” he added.
BNP standing committee member Lt Gen. (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said the Chinese president’s visit would take the bilateral relations of the two countries to new heights. He noted that the bilateral relations with China began from the period of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman after Bangladesh’s independence.
He said the bilateral relations between the two countries have reached a “sweet and iconic stage”,  adding, “We have an enviable relationship with the Chinese from different considerations.”
Meanwhile, main opposition in parliament, Jatiya Party (JP), views the visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping in a positive light and hopes it would mark the beginning of a new flow of development in the country.  
Party leaders said the visit of the Chinese president is time befitting because Bangladesh is now rapidly moving forward towards development.
“The whole nation is waiting eagerly to welcome the Chinese President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh. His visit is very positive from the development point of view,” Jatiya Party lawmaker Kazi Firoz Rashid told The Independent yesterday.
The JP leader said, “We welcome President Xi Jinping from our party. China is a friendly country and has invested in various developmental projects in Bangladesh. Amid such a tide of development, the visit of the Chinese president would be fruitful to expedite our relations in various sectors.”
Talking to The Independent, Co-Chairman of Jatiya Party GM Quader said, “The visit of the Chinese president would usher a new era of development in the country. We hope his visit would increase more investment in our country.” “Our party sees his visit very optimistically. Chinese investment would create more job opportunities for our people. It would also strengthen the relations between the two countries in future,” he added.