Roundup: Bangladesh media praise relations with China as President Xi arrives for visit

Bangladesh's mainstream news media have shown a rare unity in welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, all expecting a new chapter of harmony opening in bilateral relations.

Xi's state visit to Dhaka, the first by a Chinese head of state in 30 years, hogged front page headlines in all Bangladesh newspapers and news agencies.

The visit signaled an emerging political consensus between the two sides on putting the Bangladesh-China relations on a new footing, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"OPTIMISM as Xi Jinping flies in," read the headline of top leading English daily, The Daily Star. Top Bangla daily, Prothom Alo, made an article written by Xi Jinping the headline of its Friday issue.

Prothom Alo publishes the Xi article with the title "China-Bangladesh Sohojogitar Sonali Safollo or A Golden Success of Bangladesh-China Cooperation."

Ittefaq, another leading Bangla daily, in its history since 1953, for the first time made a headline in Chinese language.

Reports welcoming Xi and Sino-Bangladesh bilateral issues have filled out not only the Bangladeshi newspapers' front pages but also back pages and even inner pages.

All the Bangladeshi opposition parties, including three-time ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), welcomed Xi's visit and stressed the need far further bolstering China-Bangladesh relations.

All the TV channels have been providing special news bulletins on Xi's visit.

The Chinese president will be in Dhaka Friday morning on a milestone' state visit in a bid to forge a strategic partnership with more engagement at the highest political level between the two countries, writes leading English newspaper New Age in its headline article "Chinese president Xi due Friday."

The daily observer, a prestigious English newspaper says, "Dhaka welcomes President Xi today."

All the media outlets published in-depth stories including news analysis, editorial and opinion items about the visit.

In Dhaka, posters with pictures of President Xi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Md Abdul Hamid, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are currently adorning all the major streets and junctions across.

Dhaka is having a festive look with streets adorned with decorative lights and life-size cut-outs of President Xi, President Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Posters and banners have been planted on sides of the road, inscribed with messages wishing a further boost of bilateral ties between the countries

Bangladesh media also published Xinhua's interview with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has expressed confidence that President Xi's visit would usher in "a new era of intensive cooperation" in trade, investment and other sectors between the two nations.

"We are very happy and feel honored that President Xi is coming to Bangladesh. I believe that President Xi's visit will also be more important for South Asia," she told Xinhua at her official Ganobhaban residence.

The prime minister pointed out that the relations between the two nations are underpinned by "the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existance, Spirit of Good Neighborliness, Mutual Trust, Confidence and Non- Interference into each other's internal affairs."

Hasina reaffirmed that Bangladesh strongly adheres to One China policy and supports China on issues related to its core national interests and efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali said Thursday Dhaka and Beijing are poised to sign 25 cooperation accords during the two-day visit. Endit