Xi’s New Year’s speech heralds golden age for China, global growth: Bangladeshi officials, scholars

by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Jan. 4  (Xinhua) — The New Year’s speech given by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday promises a golden age for China and shows a global vision to brush aside challenges hindering prosperity for humanity, Bangladeshi officials and scholars said Tuesday.

Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told Xinhua that President Xi once again made a historic speech, saying “his speech impressed us very much.”

In his speech, Xi not only talked about eradicating extreme poverty in rural China, but also stressed the need to create a prosperous world and lasting peace through ensuring inclusiveness, said Ahmed, who is also a senior leader of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Bangladesh Awami League party.

“Really impressed when he said China will cut paths through mountains and build bridges across rivers to move forward on reform,” said Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Ahmed said poverty eradication was also the main goal of the current Bangladeshi government.

“We’re striving hard for achieving the goal of reducing extreme poverty to less than 3 percent of Bangladeshis by 2030,” he said.

Bangladesh will surely benefit from global development initiatives proposed by Xi, including the Belt and Road Initiative.

Munshi Faiz Ahmad, chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), also highly praised Xi’s New Year’s speech, saying that Xi reiterated in his speech China’s commitment to stand by the developing countries around the world.

“We admire him and his speech that comes as an inspiration for us,” he said.

Ahmad, who is also a former Bangladesh ambassador to China, said two concepts — poverty eradication and global cooperation — are very clear from his speech.

Describing Xi’s speech as positive and far-sighted, Ahmad said China today was an ideal example for countries across the world in reducing poverty.

Calling for more international cooperation, the BIISS chairman said that all countries must continue their efforts for a new kind of economic globalization to ensure equity and justice, and steer it towards a more inclusive and mutually beneficial direction.

He said a pro-poor globalization will immensely help achieve the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, tackle climate change and ultimately reduce poverty.

Bangladesh has seen substantial reductions in both extreme poverty and poverty, he said, adding the proportion of the population living below the national extreme poverty line has been reduced from 40 percent in 1991 to 22 percent now.

The scholar said countries that have long been characterized by massive rural poverty must work together to ensure a minimum living standard around the world.

Xi on Sunday delivered a New Year’s speech, vowing that China would resolutely carry out reforms.