Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said the cooperation between Bangladesh and China must continue, although a new government will soon take office.
“In a few weeks, I will be out of this office and a new government will be formed, but the work between our two countries must go on,” he said during a meeting with a delegation from the China-Bangladesh Partnership Forum at the State Guest House Jamuna recently.
The delegation included senior Chinese academics, investors and industry leaders from the biomedical, infrastructure, digital, and legal sectors, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Friday.
Xin-yuan Fu, a leading Chinese biomedical scientist and Director of the West China School of Medicine at Sichuan University, commended Prof Yunus’ vision and said he was very much looking forward to working with Bangladeshi academics and contributing to improving people’s lives.
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Andrew Zilong Wong, Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors of Walvax Biotechnology, and Yuqing Yao, Managing Director of Walvax Biotech (Singapore), shared their experiences and interest in working with Bangladesh. Walvax has exported its vaccines to at least 22 countries.
The company has established local subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Indonesia and is exploring the localisation of PCV and HPV vaccines.
In Indonesia, it has signed an agreement with a business partner, indicating a move toward building local capacity.
The delegation also included Jinsong Wang, Vice President of the Robotics Society of Singapore; Yuan Feng, Chair of the Management Committee of Fordall Law Firm; Li Ran, Managing Director of Beijing Wutong Asset Management; Gao Zhipeng, Vice President for International Investment and Projects at China State Construction Engineering Corporation; Xu Tianzhao, Investment Director of China Hunan Construction Investment Group; Hua Jie, Vice President of China CCC Engineering Group; Chen Shujian, General Manager for Overseas Markets at PowerChina Overseas Investment Group; Professor Ma Xiaoyuan of Yunnan University; and Alex Wang Zekai, Secretary-General of the China-Bangladesh Partnership Forum.
They informed the Chief Adviser that they had engaged with several university students in Bangladesh on artificial intelligence and digitalisation and expressed admiration for the talent and potential of young Bangladeshi minds.
During the meeting, Prof Yunus recalled his long-standing relationship with China, which began through the microcredit movement.
“I had the opportunity to visit remote villages in China and see how people’s lives were being transformed. Later, the Chinese government launched its own programmes inspired by these principles,” the Chief Adviser said.
Recalling his visit to China in March, Prof Yunus said he had met President Xi Jinping during the visit.
“He told me that he had read my book and followed its principles. That was a very happy moment for me,” he said.
The delegation thanked Prof Yunus and discussed opportunities for collaboration in the health, infrastructure and digital sectors.
Highlighting the interim government’s priorities, the Chief Adviser said health remains the top concern.
“Our highest priority is healthcare—how to integrate digital technology so that doctors and patients can connect effectively, medical histories can be preserved digitally, and appointments can be accessed easily,” he said.
Dr Yunus also emphasised the need for social business models in the pharmaceutical sector.
“Medicines cost pennies to produce, yet are sold for dollars. We want to encourage the establishment of social business pharmaceutical companies that focus on helping people, not just profits,” he said.
About the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof Yunus recalled Bangladesh’s advocacy for patent-free vaccines.
“We raised our voices for patent-free vaccines and faced resistance. When the vote came, 10 countries abstained. They said rich countries would buy vaccines and donate them to poor nations. We said we don’t need gifts. People were dying while others were making money. This is a shame,” he said.
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Prof Yunus also shared his vision of establishing a “health city” in the northern region of Bangladesh.
“During my visit to China, I proposed building a 1,000-bed international hospital in northern Bangladesh. It is a poor region but strategically located near India, Nepal, and Bhutan,” he said.
Dr Yunus explained that the proposed health city would include hospitals, medical colleges, research centres, vaccine production facilities, pharmaceutical industries, and medical equipment hubs.
“All health-related activities would be located in one city. People from India, Nepal, and Bhutan could also benefit by accessing quality healthcare facilities there,” he added.
Prof Yunus expressed his gratitude to the government of China for its continued support and cooperation.
Lamiya Morshed, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator and Senior Secretary to the government, was also present at the meeting.