July 26th, 2021
Consulate-General of Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Location: 24/F, SUP Tower, 75-83 King's Road, North Point, Hong Kong
In North Point, the Bangladeshi Consulate-General is a little bit off the beaten track if consulates are concerned. Even so, we were quickly reminded we were in the right place by the name of the consulate, plastered on the wall in glowing neon letters. After we talked to the front desk, we were quickly brought into a modern conference room, where the staff kindly put away some books that were left out. The walls held some beautiful photos of Bangladesh (taken by a HK photographer), which we admired as we waited.
Soon after, we were introduced to Mr. Alam, who is currently the acting Consul General. We learnt that the mission began in 1976, following Bangladeshi independence from Pakistan in 1971. It had first started as a trade office, and became a consulate general following the handover.
As Hong Kong is a large financial hub, it is very important to Bangladesh. In fact, Hong Kong is one of Bangladesh’s largest sources of foreign direct investment. This is important for Bangladesh’s garment industry, of which they are now the world’s 2nd largest producer. The next time you go to Zara, H&M, or Marks & Spencer, there’s a good chance whatever you're buying is from Bangladesh. Other industries that Bangladesh has been trying to expand into are pharmaceuticals and IT. Furthermore, Bangladesh has been working on 2-3 trade agreements with Hong Kong, however, this movement has been postponed due to Covid-19.
In addition, we also learned that the Bangladeshi consulate prioritizes cultural exchange, encouraging more students to come to Hong Kong universities, renting booths at government festivals, and working to hold cultural events, including a Bengali Drama showing next week. This cultural exchange has also manifested itself in the approximately 3 to 4 thousand Bangladeshi citizens residing in Hong Kong, the majority of whom are domestic helpers, traders, businessmen, bankers, and students.
Mr. Alam was also excited to talk to us about the recent developments in Bangladesh, including achieving food self-sufficiency, and the Belt and Road Initiative. He also talked about Bangladesh’s place in geopolitics, where it plays a unique role in between the two global powers of India and China. This has its history in the non-aligned movement during the cold war, of which Bangladesh was a part of. Mr. Alam was also excited to tell us about the Bangla language, of which includes many English words. We were surprised to learn words like hello, table, and chair were spoken in English, originating from Bangladesh’s colonial history.
We’d like to thank Mr. Alam and his staff for their hospitality, and especially for the steaming hot cups of tea that were brought to us midway through our longest interview so far. We’d encourage you all to learn more about Bangladesh’s fascinating culture, and perhaps even visit in the future!