India to take part in second round of BCIM talks from tomorrow

Senior officials of the Governments of India, Bangladesh China and Myanmar will take part in the second round of discussions for the BCIM corridor, an economic silk route between Bangladesh, India, China and Myanmar, from tomorrow in the Cox's Bazar area of Bangladesh.

The two-day meeting, according to the Daily Star, will focus on the scope and modalities of cooperation in sectors of goods and services, investment, energy, multimodal connectivity and sustainable development.

A press release issued by the Bangladesh foreign ministry further said that the joint study group meeting, organised by the government of Bangladesh, will be chaired by Foreign Secretary Mohammad Shahidul Haque.

"The corridor is expected to unlock parts of the four countries towards reaping greater economic synergies, complementarities and upscale manifold economic opportunities," the statement further said.

The prime minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi had said the corridor fitted Bangladesh's desire to become the hub of connectivity between South and Southeast Asia.

The 2,800 km Kolkata-Kunming route, connecting Ruili-Bhamo, Lashio, Mandalay, Tamu, Imphal, Sylhet and Dhaka is the best option, a Bangladeshi concept paper suggested.

The paper was presented at an inter-ministerial meeting in Dhaka on February 6.

The roads, railways, airlines, water route, telecom networks and energy pipelines along the Kolkata-Kunming route is expected to form a "thriving" economic belt.

The trade potential of the corridor stands at USD 132 billion, according to a study by Research and Information System for Developing Countries in India.