Feature: Bangladesh's forward-thinking youngsters see China as path to bright future

For many in modern Bangladesh, hope lies in "Made in China" products and future initiatives that will further tie Bangladesh and China together.

About 99 percent of all Bangladeshis say they ultimately prefer a Chinese product whether for personal use or for commercial purposes, according to recent statistics, and for the citizens here, Chinese products are already synonymous with the success of daily lives.

The "Made in China" brand has also opened an important window for Bangladeshis to become familiar with the friendly Chinese people and China's booming economy.

People here say that whatever it is they have to buy, they first look for a Chinese option because they are durable, on the one hand, and affordable, on the other.

The younger generation of Bangladeshis strongly believes that their future-building efforts, to a large extent, are reliant on China, Chinese products, machinery or its cutting edge technologies.

They are not merely looking into China's economic developments, but also have ample interest in its state activities, to better understand its future policies.

The ongoing annual sessions of China's top legislature and national advisory body were highly under the Bangladesh media spotlight.

"We need to know more about the vast country (China), its political and economical systems as it's now one our country's top development partners," said Asif Rahman, a business faculty student of the private North South University.

"I'm learning Chinese at a private institute," he continued.

There is no alternative but to learn the Chinese language, to know its rich culture and traditions which date back thousands of years, he added.

Mehedi Hasan Rana, a student of Dhaka University said, "China is a very good country and the people are extremely friendly. There are many Chinese people who work for our country and are involved in many (Bangladesh) projects. And every encounter I have with workers and business people here has been a positive one," he said.

"China has a huge population, but their population is not a burden for them. Because they also have intellectual power. Their government utilizes them very well. Human resources is the main way of developing their country," proffered the young scholar.

Many like Rahman are learning the Chinese language with a hope to build a better future. Bangladeshi female students, as well, are not lagging behind in this direction.

"Many of young people in Bangladesh are learning the Chinese language to work alongside Chinese people. I'm also learning Chinese to guarantee that I can land a good job," said Shahina Akther, a Psychology Department student at Dhaka University.

Akther who has been studying Chinese for about three years said, "Chinese products are doing really well these days. Right now the quality is so high."

"And as a girl I prefer Chinese mobile phones - the technology is amazing, and Chinese bags. The bags are beautifully designed, with so much attention to detail and that's why Chinese products are very good in mind," she said.

"Many Chinese people are working in Bangladesh and they are developing lots of industries and companies," which really benefits our county too, she added.

The younger generation of Bangladeshis is now keen to see the implementation of the China-backed development initiatives like the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road initiative.

As Bangladesh is listed as part of the China-proposed development initiatives, such initiatives are being keenly eyed by Bangladesh's forward-thinking youth.

"I think in the near future we could go to China from Bangladesh via roads through Myanmar," said Rahmat Miah, a young entrepreneur.

Meanwhile, Faridul Alam, a shop owner in Dhaka said, "When this (Silk) road is finished it will be good for us and also for China, as both countries are good friends."

Another small business owner, Faruk Hossain, said, "If this (Silk) road is constructed, Bangladesh will benefit greatly, because business communication will be even better than now." Endit