Closer China-India ties to benefit Asia-Pacific region: Bangladeshi expert

DHAKA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Closer cooperation between China and India will bring enormous importance for the Asia-Pacific region, a leading Bangladeshi think-tank chief said Thursday.

Farooq Sobhan, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, told Xinhua that "The talks between (Indian ) Prime Minister Modi and (Chinese) President Xi Jinping in Wuhan on 27-28 April will be of enormous importance for the Asia-Pacific region."

He said Bangladesh, in particular, will undoubtedly follow the visit very closely. "Bangladesh enjoys a close relationship with both India and China and would welcome the strengthening of Sino-Indian relations," he added.

On trade, Sobhan, who served in various capacities in the Bangladeshi government and foreign service, said Bangladesh would like to see its strong bilateral relations with China and India develop into trilateral project based on cooperation encompassing both China and India.

"The bilateral summit meeting between these two world leaders could contribute significantly to promoting regional economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region," Sobhan said.

"We hope that the talks will make a significant contribution to strengthening peace and stability in the region," he said. Enditem