by Pan Xiaozhu
DHAKA, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- "Deng
Xiaoping was the father of modern and mighty China" and his policy of
"Reform and Opening-up" made China giant politically, economically and
militarily.
This was the comment of former
Bangladeshi president Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who ruled this
South Asian country for about nine years since March 1982, while talking
with Xinhua in an exclusive interview recently.
General Ershad, chairman of the
Jatiya Party (National Party) received Xinhua correspondents at his party
office at Banani in Dhaka.
In the exclusive interview in
connection with Deng Xiaoping's 100th anniversary of birth to be
celebrated in China on August 22,2004, Ershad said during his rule, he had
visited China five times. "It's a great honor for me that I met Deng
during my every visit",he said.
The former president, who was put in
jail for six years by his political rivals after he lost power in a mass
upsurge in December 1990, recalled his first meeting with Deng Xiaoping in
Beijing in 1983 while he was chief martial law administrator.
General Ershad, who came to power in
March 24, 1982, said when he met Deng Xiaoping for the first time, Deng
was 81 and he had never seen such a quick in thought leader in such a age.
"Deng knew everything about
international affairs. Deng knew every development that was happening in
Bangladesh," he said, adding that "Deng's statesmanship made a deep
impression on me."
General Ershad observed that Deng
Xiaoping pursuit the policy of reform and opening-up just at the end of a
social turmoil in China. He praised the political courage of Deng for his
reform policy.
The Jatiya Party chairman said Deng
Xiaoping's reform policy reflected China's own character. "He successfully
transformed China's former socialist economy under the leadership of
Chinese Communist Party into a market economy also under the leadership of
the Chinese Communist Party," he noted.
Deng himself shaped the economic
development in Shenzhen as a model and then spread his idea into the
entire China, he said, adding that after that the Chinese economy had
started to pick up and to grow faster.
Ershad said "whenever I had visited
China I had seen new China with rapid changes."
The ex-president visited China again
on April 10 this year at the invitation of the Chinese government. He said
when he had been in China 14 years ago, China was at its initial stage of
economic progress led by Deng's reform and opening-up policy, but this
time he had seen a new China.
He said wherever he went in China, he
saw new sky scrappers, flourishing communication networks and bustling
commercial sections. The foreign investors are now rushing to China as the
Asian giant can now offer tremendous commercial opportunities for them, he
said.
Ershad noted that during his China
tours in the past, he only saw a few number of cars running in the
streets, but the situation is changed. "Now you can see huge number of
cars in the Chinese streets. Now quite a number of Chinese common people
have ability to buy car for private use."
"Without seeing with own eyes nobody
can believe China is developing so fast. I am astonished," General Ershad,
74, said.
"Others now value China more and the
country is playing more role in maintaining regional as well as global
peace," he said.
"As Deng Xiaoping made significant
contribution to modern China,he is now in the hearts of the Chinese people
and the people will remember him forever," he said.
Terming China as a best friend of
Bangladesh, the ex-president said he believes in "One China Policy", as
Taiwan is an integral part of China. Bangladesh should abide by its
principled stand on Taiwan issue, he said.
