Xi greets new president of Bangladesh

President Xi Jinping extended on Monday a congratulatory message to Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu on his assuming the presidency of Bangladesh, expressing his readiness to carry forward the bilateral traditional friendship and promote the high-quality building of the Belt and Road.

Xi noted that China and Bangladesh, as traditional friends and neighbors, have always respected each other, treated each other as equals and offered each other support over issues concerning respective core interests since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1975.

The two countries have set an example for countries to get along and conduct win-win cooperation, he added.

The president stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of relations with Bangladesh, and he is willing to make concerted efforts with his Bangladeshi counterpart to advance the bilateral strategic partnership and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

Chuppu, 74, was declared as the president-elect of Bangladesh by the country's Election Commission in February, replacing Mohammad Abdul Hamid. He was elected unopposed after no other candidate was put forward.

China is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, with bilateral trading volume growing by 10.7 percent year-on-year to $27.79 billion in 2022, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The South Asian country mainly imports textiles, mechanical and electrical products, cement and fertilizers from China, which is a buyer of leather and textile products from Bangladesh.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn