Chinese envoy praises Bangladesh student protesters while urging return to stability

In meeting with Beijing’s ambassador, Bangladeshi student movement members thank China for sending help during anti-government unrest

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China’s top envoy in Bangladesh Yao Wen (centre) meets members of the South Asian nation’s student movement in Dhaka on Thursday. Photo: qq.com

Published: 7:00pm, 11 Oct 2024Updated: 9:39am, 13 Oct 2024

China’s top envoy in Bangladesh praised the “courage and wisdom” of the country’s student protesters while meeting representatives of the movement, some of whom have joined Dhaka’s interim government.

Yao Wen, the Chinese ambassador to Dhaka, met the student representatives on Thursday, commending them for their role in the anti-government movement. The student protests erupted in July and marked the final chapter in a two-year wave of unrest that ultimately led to a regime change in Bangladesh.

“[Yao] appreciated the courage and wisdom shown by the young generation of Bangladesh in the student movement and encouraged the young people to contribute to the country to make it return to the right track of unity, stability, development, and prosperity,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

Two student movement leaders, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, were appointed in August to serve in the interim government led by Bangladeshi economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

Neither Islam nor Mahmud appeared in photos from Thursday’s meeting published by the Chinese embassy, though the former met Yao earlier this month.

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Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead Bangladesh interim government

The Chinese envoy met Yunus soon after the interim government was established in August. During that meeting, Yao reaffirmed China’s position of non-interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and reiterated Beijing’s respect for the “independent development path” chosen by the Bangladeshi people.