By NNN-Xinhua
Munshiganj, Bangladesh : The 6th China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge was formally open to traffic Monday in Bangladesh’s Munshiganj district, 37 km southeast of capital Dhaka.
Bangladeshi caretaker government Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed said at the opening ceremony that his government is very grateful to the unselfish assistance by the Chinese government.
Ahmed said the opening of the bridge will bring social development not only to the local area, but also to the areas nearby.
He also extended congratulations to the workers on their successful construction of the bridge.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zheng Qingdian said as return that as a developing country, China has always tried its best to help its brotherly countries, like Bangladesh.
He said he sincerely hoped the bridge as well as other five China-funded bridges would make great contributions in improving local transport and social-economic development, as a symbol of friendship of the two peoples.
The Bangladeshi and Chinese governments signed an agreement to build the bridge, 1521 meters in length and 10 meters in width, on Dec. 27, 2004.
As the largest assistant project to Bangladesh by the Chinese government, the total investment of the bridge is 141 million Chinese yuan (about 19.6 million U.S. dollars).
The first China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge is situated in capital Dhaka. It was built in Oct. 1986, and finished in Feb. 1989.