On the occasion of the celebration of Chinese New Year 2024 Rally was organized on Saturday at Chattogram. Social Development organization ISDE Bangladesh, Bangladesh Working Group for Ecology and Development (BWGED) and Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) jointly organized the rally.

The speakers congratulate and extend best wishes to Chinese peoples and Government on the occasion of Chinese New Year. They hopes, Chinese investment has been playing an important role for the dynamism of our country’s economy for a long time. The peoples are grateful and indebted to you for this. As a result, we are celebrating your “Lunar Year 2024” in such a grand manner, we hope that your hand of cooperation will be extended to us.

But some negative aspects of these investments made us the issue for rethink. Human rights violations, environmental damage continue in Chinese invested projects. In addition, the invested debt has to pay for LNG and coal imports and capacity, and the country is slowly turning into a fragile economy.

Speakers also comments, already China has decided to transition away from such investments outside their country towards renewable energy. In 1997, the first company called Power China came forward to invest in the power sector in Bangladesh.

Over the past few years, more than 20 Chinese companies have been investing in Bangladesh to upgrade the lifestyle of Bangladeshi people. The total investment from China in Bangladesh is $7.07 billion. In addition, Chinese companies have received construction contracts worth $22.94 billion in different sectors. As China has become the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) source of Bangladesh.

Almost 90% of the energy projects in the pipeline are funded by China, if they turn their big coal power projects to renewables, then we can be in a better position to achieve our 2050 target. We express satisfaction with your involvement in the Second Phase of the Payra 1320 MW Thermal Power Plant Project, showcasing your commitment to discontinuing financial support for coal-fired power plants.

We embrace additional funding for sustainable energy sources, with a particular focus on solar and wind power infrastructures. This aligns with Bangladesh’s ambitious objective of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2050, as outlined in the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan (MCPP).

In addition, we are eagerly waiting to see that the Government of the People’s Republic of China has taken necessary actions against the human rights violation at project sites (e.g. S.S. Power Limited).

President H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping made a laudable commitment to green and low-carbon energy in his speech to the UN General Assembly on September 21, 2021, reiterating China’s position opposing new coal-fired power projects abroad.

Amongst others ISDE Bangladesh’s Executive Director & CAB Central Vice President S M Nazer Hossain, ADAB Chattogram President & Women Activist Jesmin Sultana Paru, Environmental Activist & Freedom Fighter Prof Dr. Idrish Ali, CRCD Executive Director Quazi Iqbal Bahar Sabery, Central Member of Vegetable & Fruits Exporters Association Md Selim Jahangir, Assistant Professor Chittagong University Sayed Ahsan Khalid, Deputy Director, PROSHIKA, Ajoy Mitra Shanku, CAB Youth Group President Chowdhury KNM Riyad, CAB Youth Group City Unit President Abu Hanif Noman also spoken the rally.