Bangladesh has backed China’s $4 trillion One-Belt-One Road initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), after Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque explained the need to balance “sovereignty” and “economic integration” during his visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in New Delhi on Thursday, reports India Today. Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque stressed on the economic limitations that Bangladesh faces and expressed the need to build links, even with China. During the “Asia’s New Normal” discussion at the WEF conference, the foreign secretary of Bangladesh emphasised on the importance of economic growth. “Economic issues now dictate how much sovereignty one should exert,” said the foreign secretary at the forum. Bangladesh formally joined the ‘One-Belt-One Road’ initiative in 2016, which will span 65 countries with 70% of the world’s population.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 07, 2017 11:48 UTC