On 27 July, Ambassador Yao Wen visited Chattogram to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) and met with representatives of Chinese enterprises intending to settle in the Zone. Over 300 participants attended the event, including Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Minister of Finance and Planning, Salahuddin Ahmed, Home Minister,Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin, State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, ChowdhuryAshik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), local dignitaries, residents, representatives of Chinese companies and journalists.

Ambassador Yao stated that the groundbreaking of the CEIZ marks a key step to deliver the outcomes of Honorable Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to China. The Zone will help Bangladesh improve its industrial and supply chains, boost export capacity and generate local employment. China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to press ahead with the Zone’s construction efficiently, attract more high-quality enterprises, and build a landmark project under high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Bangladeshi officials noted that the CEIZ is a flagship project for Bangladesh to attract foreign investment and advance industrialization. They expressed hope to expand practical bilateral cooperation via the Zone, address the country’s development bottlenecks and deliver benefits to local people.