China to Initiate ‘Tripartite Talks’ over Rohingya after Myanmar Polls

Beijing has assured Dhaka that steps will be taken to arrange a second round of 'tripartite talks' between Bangladesh, China, and Myanmar on the return of Rohingya after Myanmar general election next month.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the assurance in a telephone conversation with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr. AK Abdul Momen on Thursday evening, a press release from the foreign ministry said on Friday, reports BSS.

After the Myanmar elections, the Chinese Foreign Minister proposed that an ambassador-level talk be held first before the tripartite meeting of foreign ministers to begin the Rohingya repatriation.

Wang told Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Momen that Myanmar recently reassured China that the forced return of Rohingyas from Bangladesh had taken place once the situation in Covid 19 improved.

The Envoy said that China had maintained frequent contact with Myanmar at various levels on the Rohingya repatriation issue, while Naypyidaw assured Beijing that they would soon begin discussions on the matter with Bangladesh.

The Chinese Ambassador also emphasized the launch, soon in Dhaka, of tripartite high-level official preparatory talks on the Rohingya repatriation.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last year, the first tripartite meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, China and Myanmar was held.

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017 after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” by other rights groups.

The telephone conversation between Bangladesh and Chinese foreign ministers took place on Thursday, while the international community held a virtual donor conference to examine the humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas and host communities.

The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), co-hosted the conference while Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam joined.

During the conference, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam reminding the international community that Rohingyas took refuse here on temporary basis and they must return to their country of origin soon as Bangladesh is not in a position to swallow this burden any more.

Expressing his dismay that the “role of the United Nations in saving humanity from hell is also not visible in its policy actions towards Myanmar”, Alam urged all stakeholders to put their best efforts to help Rohingyas return to their home in Myanmar.

In a statement on Thursday, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said that 'P5 members of the UN Security Council' have a special responsibility to contribute to stopping violence and supporting victims of violence in Myanmar.

“The US is working with its partners to stop the cycle of violence in Rakhine State, including by cooperating to end the trafficking of weapons and narcotics that have contributed to instability for so long,” he said.

On Tuesday, in a briefing on his recent visit to India and Bangladesh, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State said that China played a 'very little' role compared to what 'should be expected' of them in resolving the crisis of the Rohingyas displaced by force.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Momen claimed earlier that Bangladesh's primary objective is to repatriate Rohingyas to their place of origin in the Rakhine State.

After yesterday’s donor conference, the UNHCR in a joint statement said the international community has demonstrated its strong commitment to the humanitarian response with the announcement of funding some US$ 600 million for the Rohingyas and host communities.