Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said that her government was “very much careful” about issues of development partnership with China and Dhaka was not dependent on any particular country for overseas assistance.
The 99-year lease of Hambantota port to China by Sri Lanka has raised red flags about the downside of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative and Beijing’s push for major infrastructure projects costing billions of dollars in small countries.
“We’re very much careful about taking loans — mostly we take loans from institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. From China, our loan is very low. It is not like Sri Lanka or anybody,” she said in an interview with CNN.
“We’re not depending on anybody,” Hasina, who is also the President of the ruling Awami League, said.
When asked why the US thought Dhaka was getting closer to China and what she would like to say about it, the Prime Minister replied that Bangladesh was close to every country which supports its development efforts.
We’re close to everybody, China, USA or India. Those who are supporting our development, we’re with them,” the 75-year-old Prime Minister said.
She described China as one of Bangladesh’s major development partners as they were investing and engaged in some major construction works in the South Asian country.
“That’s all,” she said.