PM flies to Singapore.

[Homo Sapiens]

PM flies to Singapore
Prothom Alo English Desk | Update: 14:28, Mar 11, 2018

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Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday left Dhaka for Singapore on a four-day official visit to sign certain deals to enhance mutual cooperation and strengthen the partnership both in private and public sectors, reports UNB.

The PM is visiting the country at the invitation of her Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:30am and it is scheduled to land on Changi Airport, Singapore at 2:45pm (local time).

Minister-in-attendance of Singapore, senior minister of State, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Health Dr Amy Khor and high commissioner of Bangladesh to Singapore Md Mustafizur Rahman would receive her at the airport.

Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali, state minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid, senior government officials and a high-level business delegation are accompanying her.

On Monday, the prime minister will attend the welcome ceremony at 11:00am (local time) at Istana, the official residence and office of the president of Singapore, and also the working office of the prime minister of Singapore.

Sheikh Hasina will pay a courtesy on first female Muslim president of Singapore Halimah Yacob at 11:15am (local time) and sit in a bilateral meeting with prime minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loongat at 11:45am (local time) on Monday at Istana.

The signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) will also be held at the same venue.

Later, the prime minister will join official lunch to be hosted by Singapore prime minister Lee HsienLoong in honour of Sheikh Hasina at Banquet Hall of Istana.

She will visit the Port Authority of Singapore on Monday afternoon and attend dinner to be hosted by high commissioner of Bangladesh to Singapore Mustafizur Rahman in honour of the prime minister in the evening.

On Tuesday, the prime minister will attend an orchid naming ceremony at National Orchid Gardens of Singapore Botanical Garden at 8:30am, where an orchid will be named after Sheikh Hasina.

She will address Bangladesh-Singapore Business Forum-2018 and Bangladesh-Singapore Business roundtable as the chief guest at her place of residence in the morning.

On Wednesday, Sheikh Hasina will depart Changi Airport at 3:50pm (local time) and will reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:00pm.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

In the last 2 months, President of Indonesia and Vietnam visited BD and Sheikh Hasina made journey to Cambodia and Singapore. Looks like BD is now more focused to deepen tie with ASEAN. This is a very good development.

 

[Mage]

In the last 2 months, President of Indonesia and Vietnam visited BD and Sheikh Hasina made journey to Cambodia and Singapore. Looks like BD is now more focused to deepen tie with ASEAN. This is a very good development.

Need to get into ASEAN. SAARC is useless. At least some sort of partnership with ASEAN would do good.

 

[Bilal9]

Need to get into ASEAN. SAARC is useless. At least some sort of partnership with ASEAN would do good.

This is sad. We were always the harbinger of good ideas and peace in the region. General Ziaur Rahman came up with the idea of SAARC for regional development. Bangladesh had great intentions for the region as a smaller country but the other countries were inactive always.

 

[Dot]

Bangladesh most possibly eyeing to be a dialogue partner of the ASEAN.

 

[wiseone2]

Need to get into ASEAN. SAARC is useless. At least some sort of partnership with ASEAN would do good.

ASEAN is a little better than SAARC. That is not saying much. The ASEAN did squat about the Rohingyas

 

[EasyNow]

ASEAN is a little better than SAARC. That is not saying much. The ASEAN did squat about the Rohingyas

ASEAN isn't exactly NATO, they will not offer a military umbrella. But ASEAN is less politicised than SAARC so there is more chance that real trade agreements may result from it. SAARC has become toxic tbh.

 

[wiseone2]

ASEAN isn't exactly NATO, they will not offer a military umbrella. But ASEAN is less politicised than SAARC so there is more chance that real trade agreements may result from it. SAARC has become toxic tbh.

It is less politicized because they do not have a India and Pakistan squabble. On hard issues ASEAN is no better than the SAARC

 

[24 Hours]

As a result of the tragic plane crash in Nepal the visit was cut short.

 

[Mage]

ASEAN is a little better than SAARC. That is not saying much. The ASEAN did squat about the Rohingyas

I am late. But here is why I think SAARC can't become a successful cooperation.

It's because India is too big. ALL the SAARC countries have border with India(Not sure about Afghans). But don't have border with others. Except for Pakistan that has border with both India and Afghaistan. Bangladesh has only border with India, same for Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka. Also the size. Indian economy, population, land mass is bigger than the rest combined. A organization like this is bound to be dominated by India. And a cooperation can't work that way.

At least in ASEAN, members are at least in somewhat equal footing. Of course some are more influential than others. But that's nothing like the total imbalance we have in SAARC. Maybe SAARC would do better if we have a counter balance to India, maybe by including China...but it's not like India would allow it.

 

[LuCiFeR_DeCoY]

SAARC will never be successful because of India. They already destroyed the organization

 

[Homo Sapiens]

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bangladesh-pm-pulls-out-all-the-stops-to-woo-singapore-firms
Bangladesh PM pulls out all the stops to woo Singapore firms

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (right) and her family members being shown the Dendrobium sheikh hasina by Singapore Botanic Gardens group director Nigel Taylor. With them are Bangladesh's State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid (far left) and Senior Minister of State Amy Khor.ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Published
11 hours ago

Opportunities include special economic zones, access to newly expanding industries
Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh


Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday went all out in her bid to woo Singapore companies to her fast-growing country, offering as draws its booming economy, competitive workforce and liberal investment regime.

She even made a generous pledge of land, a move that drew applause from the more than 200 participants at the inaugural Bangladesh-Singapore Business Forum.

"We can give you 500 acres (202ha) land, or more than that, whatever you want... If you want, we can give you," she said.

Madam Hasina, who after her speech hosted a roundtable with Singapore companies to discuss potential partnership opportunities, later told The Straits Times in an exclusive interview that "some people have said... they cannot get the land, so I said, 'Let me ensure this, because we need more investment.' "

During the forum held at the Shangri-La Hotel, she noted that as Bangladesh presses on with the next stage of its development, it has opened up plenty of benefits for investors.

These include access to newly expanding industries, a large, young and easily trainable workforce with competitive wages, and an investment regime that includes the protection of foreign investment by law and generous tax holidays.

"From a humble subsistence and agriculture-based economy, Ban-gladesh is shifting towards a modern, resilient and diversified economy," said Madam Hasina.

• 100
  
  Number of Special Economic Zones Bangladesh is establishing to spur investment. It is also developing several high-tech parks for IT industries with foreign investment.
  

Bangladesh, which has achieved strong average gross domestic product growth of 6.3 per cent a year over the past decade, hopes this year to shed its status as a least developed country, and by 2030 expects half its population to become urbanised consumers.

It is also establishing 100 Special Economic Zones to spur investment and developing several high-tech parks for IT industries with foreign investment, said Madam Hasina.

The Prime Minister has been in town since Sunday on an official visit that hopes to forge more opportunities for cooperation between Singapore and Bangladesh, accompanied by a 70-strong delegation of government officials and business representatives.

Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Lim Hng Kiang said at the forum that Bangladesh and Singapore hope to update their 1979 double taxation agreement to support evolving business needs.

He also encouraged Bangladesh companies to use Singapore as a launchpad into the rest of South-east Asia.

Speakers, including Singapore Business Federation chairman Teo Siong Seng, noted that Singapore companies can reap benefits from Bangladesh's rapid indus-trialisation and growing market if they seize opportunities in booming sectors such as information technology, manufacturing and infrastructure.

Ms Kathy Lai, the acting chief executive officer of International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, said Singapore looks forward to partnering Bangladesh in its next phase of growth.

"Throughout Singapore's own early development journey, Singapore companies have developed the know-how and experience in sectors such as urban development, transport and logistics, and technology," she said.

"These would be of relevance to Bangladesh as it enters its next phase of development."

Five agreements to deepen business and technological cooperation were also signed at the forum.

A key pact formalises the partnership between IE Singapore and the Bangladesh Investment Development Agency (Bida), which have worked together since last year to boost business collaboration and make it easier for Singapore companies to enter Bangladesh.

Bida will also help these companies navigate the business landscape, including working with them on applications for licences and incentives.

Earlier in the day, Madam Hasina visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where an orchid hybrid was named Dendrobium sheikh hasina in her honour, as is custom for visiting dignitaries.

 

[Centaur]

Bangladesh most possibly eyeing to be a dialogue partner of the ASEAN.

Bro ,atleast there will be no hindutva -stan in ASEAN.
We should seek direct membership of ASEAN.
But will they accept us as member ? Not sure .