China wants deal on Blue Economy

Four days after Bangladesh and India signed a deal on Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal, China on Thursday sent a similar draft deal for Bangladesh's consideration.

Dhaka had approached Beijing a long time ago for the signing of a deal on maritime cooperation to facilitate capacity building, training, joint research and study, but it had not received any response from China.

"But all of a sudden, the foreign ministry on Wednesday [June 10] received a draft document of Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] from Beijing … to facilitate maritime cooperation in the Bay," a highly placed diplomatic source told The Daily Star.

China wants to sign the MoU during Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang's upcoming visit to Bangladesh.

A source told The Daily Star that the Chinese premier would have a two-day official visit to Bangladesh most likely on September 24-25, marking the 40th 

anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Of the two deals Bangladesh and India signed on June 6, one was on "Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean", which envisages cooperation on blue economy and maritime sphere for capacity building, training and joint research collaborations, and setting up of a Joint Working Group for further cooperation in this area.

The other MoU was between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India and University of Dhaka for joint research on oceanography in Bay of Bengal.

China, which has ensured its strong presence in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan's sea through its massive funding for development of port projects, has also been trying to build a deep-sea port in Sonadia Island for Bangladesh.