Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre
Dhaka-Beijing sign MoU today
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on establishing the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre (BCFEC) will be signed between Bangladesh and China today during the two-day official visit of Chinese commerce minister Gao Hucheng. Bangladeshs finance minister AMA Muhith and Chinas commerce minister will sign the MoU on behalf of their respective governments. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy has sent the MoU to the Bangladesh government.
The letter stated that the Chinese government has agreed to adjust the project scope of the BCFEC in accordance with the request of Bangladeshs government. Apart from the exhibition hall, with around 800 booths and public and technical supporting facilities, China will construct one more two-storey open parking building to meet the requirement of the Bangladesh side to accommodate 1,500 cars. After the adjustment, the gross floor area will be around 33,000 square metres.
The MoU noted that the Chinese would be responsible for the design of the project, provide the construction machinery, equipment and materials, dispatch the necessary engineering and technical personnel to Bangladesh for the construction of the project, as well as install and test the equipment.
The increased cost would be disbursed from the grant, as stipulated in the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the governments of Bangladesh and China, signed on June 9, 2014. Bangladesh would pay all the taxes and duties on the machinery, equipment and materials for implementing the project as well as meet the expenses of the personal requirements of the Chinese engineering and technical personnel who will be working in Bangladesh. Bangladesh would be responsible for providing land for the project, shifting the cultural relics, historical sites and old trees, relocating and clearing the buildings (aboveground and underground), providing connections of water and power, and roads, and bear all expenses thereof.
Bangladesh would also be responsible for handling all the formalities of entry, exit and residence permits for the Chinese engineering and technical personnel in Bangladesh. The Chinese government would provide Tk. 625 crore as grants, while the government would arrange Tk. 138 crore from the national exchequer and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) will contribute Tk. 32 crore from its own funds. The EPB will implement the project by June 2018 under the turnkey method, with a Chinese grant. The exhibition centre will have two superior halls, with space for 806 booths (9m x 9m) each, apart from the facilities for parking some 1,500 cars.
Besides, there will be a conference room, a press centre, a trade information centre, a reception centre, a service room, a sub-station and other necessary facilities. The EPB will set up this, the countrys largest exhibition centre, investing some Tk. 796 crore, at Purbachal with Chinese grant support by June 2018. The proposed Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre will be a permanent establishment, to be built on 20 acres of land. According to the design, the exhibition centre will have 806 permanent booths in two big halls. Each of the booths will be 9.0 square metres in size. The centre will have parking space for 1,500 cars. Apart from the permanent halls, it will have conference rooms, an auditorium, a media centre, a cafeteria and other necessary facilities for visitors.
