China hosts first trilateral with Pakistan, Bangladesh

New Delhi: China has played host to foreign secretaries of Pakistan and Bangladesh in the first-ever trilateral format, a development viewed as significant in India.

The foreign secretaries agreed to enhance trilateral cooperation in various sectors such as trade, investment, health, education and maritime affairs in their meeting held in Kunming in Yunnan province of China on Thursday, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

China's vice foreign minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh's acting foreign secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique and Pakistan's additional secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui attended the meeting. Pakistan's foreign secretary Amna Baloch participated in the first phase of the meeting via video link.


The statement said the three countries will establish a working group to follow up and implement the understandings reached during the meeting. It claimed that China-Pakistan-Bangladesh cooperation adheres to true multilateralism and open regionalism, not directed at any third party.

Pakistan, whose ties with Bangladesh under PM Sheikh Hasina were lukewarm, has boosted its collaboration with Dhaka since last August across a slew of areas including defence, trade, diplomacy and people-to-people connect. The Pakistan Army and ISI are believed to have played a key role in Hasina's ouster.

Pakistan, which is looking to strengthen its ties with Bangladesh under the interim administration, is not only seeking to firm up defence partnership but also push trade and investment ties. Since last November, the Chittagong Port has received two ships carrying commercial items from Pakistan and there are attempts to scuttle India's access to the port.

China, which initially went on the backfoot following Hasina's ouster, has made inroads in the interim regime riding on the economic partnership.