Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan vow to strengthen trilateral cooperation

Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan have engaged in comprehensive discussions on trilateral cooperation, agreeing to advance their partnership based on principles of good-neighborliness, mutual trust, equality, openness, inclusiveness, and shared development.

At a meeting held on June 19 in Kunming, Yunnan province of China, the three sides underscored that their cooperation reflects genuine multilateralism and open regionalism, and is not aimed at any third party, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Participants included Bangladesh's former acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, and Pakistan’s Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch joined the first phase of the talks via video link.

The Bangladesh side has not yet issued any statement on the outcome of the discussions.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong reaffirmed China’s commitment to building a community with a shared future among its neighbors.
"Bangladesh and Pakistan are both good neighbors, good friends, and important partners for China, especially in advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation," he stated.

Highlighting the shared aspirations of the Global South, Sun emphasized that all three nations are striving for national revitalization and modernization, which requires a peaceful and stable regional environment.

"Cooperation among China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh serves the common interests of their peoples and contributes to regional peace, stability, development, and prosperity," Sun added.

The trilateral partnership aims to drive economic development and improve livelihoods. The three countries agreed to explore and implement cooperation projects across sectors including industry, trade, maritime affairs, water resources, climate change, agriculture, human resource development, think tanks, health, education, culture, and youth exchanges.

To ensure progress, a working group will be established to follow up on and implement the agreements reached during the meeting.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the event as the "inaugural meeting of the Bangladesh-China-Pakistan trilateral mechanism." According to Pakistan’s statement, the three parties agreed to strengthen regional connectivity and expand cooperation in various areas including trade, investment, agriculture, digital economy, environmental protection, marine sciences, green infrastructure, cultural and educational exchanges, and people-to-people contacts.

In Kunming, Sun Weidong also held separate meetings with Haji Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan’s interim government, as well as bilateral discussions with Ruhul Alam Siddique and Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.