China ready to write new chapter in ties with Bangladesh and Singapore

President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that he stands ready to work with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Abdul Hamid, to better align the two countries' strategies and jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, in order to take the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to new heights.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with Hamid to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, enhanced political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi noted in his message.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Bangladesh have helped each other and fought against the pandemic side by side, writing a new chapter of bilateral friendship, Xi said.Hamid said in the message that the Bangladesh-China relationship is developing rapidly and has covered cooperation in key areas, to which Bangladesh attaches great importance.

He expressed appreciation for China's support for Bangladesh in its socio-economic development.

On Saturday, Xi also exchanged congratulatory messages with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi said that China would like to work with Singapore to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, with high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative as a main focus.

Over the past 30 years, China and Singapore have understood and supported each other and promoted the development of bilateral relations, Xi stressed.

The cooperation between the two countries goes beyond the bilateral scope and plays an exemplary role at the regional and international levels, he said.

Noting that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging across the globe, Xi said countries are facing dual challenges of fighting the pandemic and reviving their economies.

He added that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Singapore relations.

China stands ready to join efforts with Singapore to uphold multilateralism and free trade, push for greater progress of bilateral relations, and contribute to regional and world stability and prosperity, Xi said.

Halimah said that the two countries have supported each other to cope with the pandemic, jointly promote economic recovery, and safeguard unimpeded trade and stable supply chains. She added she is confident that bilateral ties will achieve greater development.

Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulatory messages with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.