Thaindian News

Dhaka, July 9 (IANS) Three East Asian countries - Japan, South Korea and China - have expressed their intent to enhance relations with Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who visited China and South Korea, is due to visit Japan in October to further the ties.

New Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has formally written to invite Hasina, an official in the Prime Minister’s Office told New Age newspaper.

Japanese ambassador in Dhaka Tamotsu Shinotsuka said Wednesday that his country “is ready to extend cooperation in political, economic and social sectors here”.

Japanese investors frequently visit Dhaka to explore possibilities in various sectors, including garment, textile, leather, telecommunication and fishing as they see Bangladesh as a country having both manpower and a market.

Japan government has expressed the intent to cooperate in human resource development, construction of multipurpose bridge over the river Padma and easing traffic congestion in Dhaka city.

Dhaka expects a visit from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) president Park Dae-won this year.

Resident representative of the South Korean aid agency KOICA, Lee Jung-Wook, said Bangladesh “is at the top of the priority list among the South Asian countries to get support from South Korea”.

He said South Korea would provide about $5 million to Bangladesh under its newly conceived Overseas Development Assistance Programme.

China has begun to receive Bangladeshi goods duty-free from this month.

By sending Vice President Xi Jinping to Dhaka shortly after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Beijing in March, China has demonstrated its interest in expanding relations with Bangladesh in political, economic and military sectors, foreign ministry director general Monirul Islam told the newspaper.