[🇧🇩] China is a Time Tested Friend and a Strategic Partner of Bangladesh

[Saif]

What can Bangladesh learn from China’s rise?

True, Bangladesh has made some progress in digitalisation, but much of it remains uneven. Services are often bureaucratic, digital tools remain underutilised, and infrastructure gaps persist.

www.thedailystar.net

What can Bangladesh learn from China’s rise?

While many Chinese cities use AI-powered systems to regulate traffic and ensure commuter safety, Dhaka suffers from chaos, broken signals, and inadequate services, causing severe social and economic losses. FILE PHOTO: NAIMUR RAHMAN

How do we harness our demographic dividend, accelerate inclusive growth, and build future-ready systems in a rapidly changing world? This is a question we must ask as Bangladesh enters a new phase of its development journey. A compelling answer, I believe, lies in the story of China, which has transformed itself in just a few decades through strategic investments in education, technology, and infrastructure. My recent visit to the country has left me convinced that Bangladesh has much to learn from this transformation.

China's progress is deeply rooted in its careful investment in education, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). From primary schools to postgraduate research institutes, it has embedded innovation, experimentation, and industry relevance into its academic culture.

At a university in Guangzhou, I saw students not just attending lectures but also actively working in state-of-the-art labs, partnering with companies on research, and even launching start-ups right from the campus. It's a model that blends theory with practice—one that Bangladesh must work towards.

Unfortunately, most of our universities still operate in silos. Curricula are outdated, many faculty members lack exposure to global developments, and there's little interaction between academia and industry. Unless we align education with market demands and technological shifts, we risk producing graduates unprepared for the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

One way forward is to forge stronger ties between Bangladeshi and Chinese institutions. Joint degree programmes, research collaborations, technology transfer, and faculty exchanges should be key to our higher education strategy. Such collaborations can also extend to our skills development centres, especially outside Dhaka, to ensure broader access to quality learning.

Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have been central to China's transformation. In cities like Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, I saw AI-powered traffic lights adjusting in real time to ease congestion, facial recognition systems streamlining access to metro stations and hotels, and drones delivering goods to people's doorsteps. These were not futuristic concepts; they were everyday tools accessible to ordinary citizens.

True, Bangladesh has made some progress in digitalisation, but much of it remains uneven. Services are often bureaucratic, digital tools remain underutilised, and infrastructure gaps persist. If we want to truly leap ahead, we need to develop our own tech and AI ecosystems. For instance, the ICT Division, in partnership with local universities and Chinese tech firms, among others, could initiate joint ventures to build AI-based traffic control systems, smart city platforms, and customised e-governance solutions. By co-developing technology rather than merely importing it, we not only retain value but also grow local talent and generate employment.

We also need to empower our youth to become innovators, not just users of technology. Through mentorship, innovation hubs, and a Bangladesh-China start-up bridge, our young entrepreneurs could access the capital, guidance, and networks they need to scale their ideas.

As things stand, few aspects of daily life expose the gap between China and Bangladesh as starkly as traffic management. While many Chinese cities use AI-powered systems to regulate traffic, manage public transport, and ensure commuter safety, Dhaka suffers from chaos, broken signals, and inadequate services, causing severe social and economic losses. To address this, we can adopt smart traffic solutions through partnerships with Chinese planners and tech firms. AI-driven traffic systems, digital public transport networks, and low-cost smart cards could transform urban mobility if designed with accessibility in mind. This would benefit everyone, ranging from rickshaw-pullers to students and working-class commuters.

One of the most eye-opening experiences during my visit was observing China's health-tech revolution. Even in relatively remote areas, people accessed healthcare through digital appointment systems, mobile diagnosis apps, and AI-assisted doctors. Rural clinics were equipped with low-cost devices that could detect early signs of disease, connect patients to specialists in urban centres, and maintain digital health records with seamless efficiency. For Bangladesh, where rural health infrastructure is often poor and specialist care is concentrated in a few urban centres, this kind of model could be revolutionary. We don't necessarily need to build mega-hospitals in every upazila. Instead, what we need is a decentralised, tech-enabled healthcare model.

With support from Chinese firms and institutions, we could roll out AI-based diagnostic tools at community clinics, train health workers to use them, and connect clinics to tertiary care centres through telemedicine. Simple devices like portable ECG machines, digital thermometers, and automated prescription systems could make a real difference to people's lives.

China's cities also offer a lesson in urban planning. This is a country where cities are planned around people, sustainability, and efficiency. Parks, public spaces, walkways, and waste management systems are designed to serve communities, not just elites. In the cities, I saw how mixed-use urban zones combined housing, shopping, recreation, and public transport in a compact, eco-friendly design. Smart lighting, waste segregation, green buildings, and efficient energy use are built into the urban fabric.

In contrast, our cities suffer from unplanned growth, unsafe construction, and environmental degradation. To reverse this, we must go beyond short-term real estate incentives and develop a long-term vision for sustainable, inclusive urban spaces.

Through collaboration with Chinese urban development institutes and investment in training our city planners, Bangladesh can adopt and adapt models of green city design. Pilot projects in secondary cities like Khulna, Barishal, or Sylhet, focusing on walkability, water management, and smart utilities, can further emphasise that sustainable urbanisation is possible beyond Dhaka.

Ultimately, what impressed me most in China was not the technology itself, but how it was deployed with a deep understanding of people's needs. Development, after all, is not just about GDP or tall buildings; it's about the quality of everyday life.

For Bangladesh, the takeaway is simple but powerful. We don't need to become another China. We need to become the best version of ourselves—smart, inclusive, green, and future-ready. That transformation cannot come from the government alone. It requires the collective vision and effort of educators, researchers, health workers, technologists, urban planners, and citizens.

Md Abbas is a journalist at The Daily Star.​

 

[Saif]

Maintaining a balanced relation challenging

We have been able to convince the US that our relationship with China is not a threat or harmful to them. It is mainly an economic relationship.

en.prothomalo.com

Maintaining a balanced relation challenging
Md Touhid Hossain
Published: 14 Aug 2025, 08: 45

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain BSS

Maintaining a balance in international relations is always a challenge. This challenge has become even greater over the past year. We have said from the very beginning that we want a “good working relationship” with India based on mutual interests and respect. And this relationship will take into account public expectations in the context of the post-5 August changed situation.

The people of Bangladesh have not said that relations with India should deteriorate. What they want is for the relationship between the two countries to be founded on mutual interests and mutual respect.

A large section of the population believes that the previous government did not uphold this in Bangladesh–India relations. They did not give importance to the country’s interests. So, the importance we have placed on maintaining good relations while safeguarding the interests of both countries is a challenge for us.

China itself knows, and we have been able to make them understand that Bangladesh has always maintained a good relationship with the country since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975. Even when opposing parties were in power in Bangladesh, relations continued to progress. In this continuity, Bangladesh’s closeness with China has increased over the past year.

Although there was discomfort momentarily over reciprocal tariffs, overall, relations with the United States have been quite good over the past year. We have been able to convince the US that our relationship with China is not a threat or harmful to them. It is mainly an economic relationship. We must maintain good relations with both the US and China for the sake of our own interest.

In relations with Pakistan, we are not doing anything “out of the way”. Like many other countries, we are trying to establish a normal relationship with Pakistan, focusing on facilitating business, investment, and the movement of people.

There is no need for an economically and politically hostile relationship with Pakistan. A hostile atmosphere toward Pakistan was created unnecessarily in the past. We have moved away from that. While normalising relations with Pakistan, three unresolved issues remain on the discussion table.

The Rohingya crisis has become more complicated. A new situation will emerge in Rakhine after the end of the civil war in Myanmar. At that point, the international community must exert the necessary pressure in a timely manner. Then the Rohingyas can be repatriated.

Approval for establishing the UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s mission in Dhaka was given after thorough review, considering the country’s interests. It was not launched exactly in the manner the United Nations had initially proposed. We had human rights issues before, and we still do. With the opening of this UN mission, there is now an opportunity for both sides to work directly on human rights issues.

Initiatives have been taken to make public services more accessible in Bangladesh’s consular missions abroad. A consulate is being opened in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Another consulate will be opened in Saudi Arabia. To ease public suffering in Oman, an initiative has been taken to deliver passports through Oman Post.

However, the main challenge lies in the economy. Investors do not like political uncertainty. Our government will not remain in office for the long term. Even so, we have had to assure investors that if they bring investment proposals, the next government will not block them. Despite that, the amount of domestic and foreign investment is not encouraging. As a result, the challenge in the economic sector remains.​

 

[Saif]

The China pivot for our students deserves a deeper look

The rise of international students in China tells a lot about the changing educational landscape.

www.thedailystar.net

The China pivot for our students deserves a deeper look

VISUAL: MONOROM POLOK

"Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China"—this popular saying is fast becoming a reality for our students. A recent claim by the Chinese ambassador confirms that 20,000 Bangladeshi students are currently studying in China. However, many of the Western datasets do not include this figure. The Unesco website updated in 2024 mentions 52,799 students and offers a top ten list featuring the US (8,524), the UK (6,586), Canada (5,835), Malaysia (5,714), Germany (5,046), Australia (4,987), Japan (2,802), India (2,606), South Korea (1,202) and Saudi Arabia (1,190). ICEF also has a similar list with different ranks and higher figures, claiming the UAE as the number one destination for Bangladeshi students, followed by Malaysia.

China does not appear in any of these lists. Yet, the country has been strategically investing to become a target for higher education, especially for students from the Global South. According to the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, quoted by Chinese-American chemist Peidong Yang, China is the top destination in Asia for international students. In 2018, it accounted for 10 percent of the global market (Handbook on Migration to China, p. 9) and welcomed 492,000 international students. This is far below the 1.1 million students going to the US or 670,000 students going to the UK (Unesco TNE trackers). However, the rise of international students in China tells a lot about the changing educational landscape. This data is further complemented by the number of Chinese universities ranked by the international students.

During my recent visit to China as a fellow at the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies (SIIS), I experienced the phenomenal growth of the universities. Having studied both in the UK and the US, I could understand why there is a major shift unfolding in our region with the pivot of Bangladeshi students toward the East. I talked to several Bangladeshi expatriate teachers and students to understand what China now offers to Global South learners, notwithstanding our policy imagination that has remained static. My visits, starting from the medical units to the aeronautical and geographic information system (GIS) infrastructures of over five universities, made me aware of how China is leapfrogging into a future where education, technology, and culture blend seamlessly.

At the East China Normal University, I asked officials whether there was a decline in the humanities with so much emphasis presently given to STEM. They were proud to say that 40 percent of their students were in the humanities. Yet this is the same university that has the world's leading tech ventures hosting 1,400 companies—including Intel, Microsoft, and Coke—on its industrial park.

I was told each entity is now required to incorporate AI in its programme as a state policy. At Beihang, Hangzhou, I saw how the university was producing airplanes and satellites. They work closely with many international partners.

I asked Bangladeshi students and faculty members about the pros and cons of studying in China. Despite the added pressure of learning a new language and adopting a new culture, everyone seemed quite upbeat. They all appreciated the welcoming nature of Chinese culture. The respondents I spoke with identified three pull factors. First, China excels in fields such as AI, robotics, renewable energy, pharmacy, traditional medicine, and logistics. These fields align directly with Bangladesh's development needs. Many of the students are attracted to the language programmes, knowing that in the evolving world, this linguistic competency can be a capital for future employability. Second, many of these students have come through the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC), provincial scholarships, and full university funding, which do not require them to do part-time jobs. These make China one of the most accessible destinations for students from middle-income families who cannot afford Western fees.

Third, the proximity of China, both geographically and culturally, makes it a preferred choice for many. Most campuses now offer halal and vegan food. The weather, the shared collectivist values, and the growing Bangladeshi communities all contribute to a gentler social transition. However, since the trend is very recent, there is no strong alumni output to understand how these degrees are changing the lives of Bangladeshi students.

I realised my own biases were creating a blind spot. This oversight, shared by the country, shows something important: the common belief is that students from developing nations always "look West" for education, but the trend is shifting eastward towards countries like China, Malaysia, and the UAE. The oversight is likely to have policy consequences. Bangladesh's education planners must reconsider where its human resources can and should be directed and what kind of language and cultural training, as well as reintegration pathways, they should incorporate in the curriculum to address this mobility shift.

According to the pilot survey I did for my fellowship, most of the students have completed the HSK test in Chinese language proficiency to study in undergraduate programmes. Most of them are studying computing/AI, the fastest-growing sector in both Bangladesh and China. Most come through university scholarships. Such activity indicates the emergence of a new pipeline of young and skilled, China-educated professionals. For the postgraduate students, the responses were slightly varied: five hoped to stay in China for work or further study; three aspired to move to a third country (often in the West); two planned to return to Bangladesh; and two aimed for entrepreneurship. The pattern can be interpreted not with the traditional lens of brain drain but through the brain gain nexus, which involves a more dynamic exchange of skills, networks, and technologies flowing between countries.

However, this journey is not without barriers. The main challenge faced by our students involves the language issue. Even in English-taught programmes, everyday life demands language skills. Students must use VPN to remain connected to their friends back home, as China insists on its homegrown digital systems (Alipay, WeChat). The other concern that these students shared involved the lack of familiarity of Bangladeshi employers with Chinese degrees. Without systematic recognition of Chinese credentials, returnees may struggle to prove their value. China's work-visa pathway for international graduates, though improving, remains competitive and often uncertain.

For Bangladesh to leverage China-trained talent, it must prepare mechanisms to absorb, certify, and deploy these returnees into sectors that need them most, including AI, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, and public health. Bangladeshi universities should also do curriculum mapping to understand the merit of Chinese degrees, especially in STEM and health sciences. The University Grants Commission (UGC) can create structured reintegration pathways and degree equivalency tools. Building institutional partnerships (dual degrees, credit transfers, and co-supervised PhDs) can enhance the South-South cooperation needed for our ranking efforts, while Bangladesh-China alumni forums can coordinate policy, mobility, and research collaboration.

Dr Shamsad Mortuza is professor of English at Dhaka University.​