Islamabad:
China, Pakistan and Bangladesh have formed a first trilateral forum, in a significant development that highlights the new alignments in the region.
The first meeting of the newly formed trilateral meeting was held in Kunming, the province of Yunnan of China on Thursday.
The conversations, held on June 19, brought together the Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sun Weidong, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Ruhul Alam Siddique and the additional secretary of Pakistan for Asia-Pacific, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Amna Baloch, also joined the first phase of discussions through a video link.
Bangladesh had tightened the ties with Pakistan and the relationship with China was not soft during the 15 -year rule of Sheikh Hasina Wajid. But since its expulsion in August of last year, the relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh has seen a dramatic improvement, while China has also intervened to advance their interests.
The establishment of the trilateral forum was the result of the efforts behind the scene of three countries. Certain raising eyebrows in India, which suffered a setback after the elimination of the Hasina government.
However, Pakistan, China and Bangladesh emphasized that their new initiative was not aimed at any third country.
According to the declaration of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Vice President Sun reiterated Beijing’s commitment to promote a “community with a shared future” among neighboring countries. He described both Pakistan and Bangladesh and “good neighbors, good friends and important partners in the cooperation of high quality belts and roads.”
“The three countries are key global members and share the mission of revitalization and national modernization,” said Sun. “This trilateral cooperation is not only in line with the collective aspirations of our people, but it is also essential to guarantee peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”
The trilateral dialogue focused on promoting economic development and improving the quality of life in the three nations. The delegations held in -depth discussions on the launch of cooperation initiatives in sectors such as industry, commerce, maritime issues, water resources, agriculture, climate change, education, youth exchange, medical care, the collaboration of Think Tank and the development of human resources.
The three countries agreed to establish a joint work group to monitor and implement the proposals and understandings achieved during the meeting.
All parties emphasized that China-Pakistan-Bangladesh’s trilateral commitment would be guided by principles of good neighborhood, mutual trust, inclusiveness and development of win-win. They also clarified that the framework adheres to true multilateralism and open regionalism, and is not aimed at any third party.
The meeting marks a new phase in regional diplomacy, with China with the aim of building broader cooperative platforms that extend beyond traditional bilateral commitments.
Observers say that Kunming’s meeting could serve as a basis for future initiatives led by China in southern Asia, with emphasis on development -based diplomacy.
