Dr. Shumacker’s absorbing account of Western physicians in China in this issue includes delightful, hitherto unpublished anecdotes. His comments inspire other observations as, for example, ways American physicians can learn from the Chinese and, in reverse, how we can serve China. I had the privilege of visiting the People’s Republic of China 6 years ago as a member of a group of American Medical Association officials invited by the Chinese Medical Association. At that early time very few visitors were admitted. We went prepared to discuss medical matters but were advised immediately by members of the people’s revolutionary groups, who served as directors of hospitals, that their physicians could not understand English and so the communication would be unilateral. Although the truth of this remark is questionable, we were given an extraordinary opportunity to observe without being required to make any contribution. The unfailing courtesy and energy of our hosts filled every moment of a full schedule with enjoyable and informative events. We were quickly absorbed in the stirring vitality and the mystery of that great country. An observer cannot help conjecturing why such a nation with a history of civilization that extends over thousands of years has undergone such dramatic and catastrophic changes in such short periods. The dissolution of an empire, feudal wars, invasion and domination by a foreign power, emergence of the two major factions: the nationalists and the communists, the victory of the communists in 1949, the cultural revolution, and now the gradual thawing of relations with other countries-truly China has seen every form of government within little more than a half century. Will this be the fate of all heavily populated civilized cultures after they exist for many centuries? We can learn from the Chinese physicians, trained in Western medicine, who survived these tribulations and now are able to communicate more freely with us than they have for 3 decades. Above all they have demonstrated Osler’s primary virtue: equanimity in the face of overpowering odds. For instance, in the Mao era surgical specialists were required to spend 6 months every 3 years in manual labor to have their political consciousness raised. Traditional medicine was outlawed before 1949, then elevated to a status equal that in the West. A pervasive belief that matters would be better in the future must have sustained physicians in those dark davs. Would we be _ able to do the same? From the Departments of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Chinese doctors proved that superb technical skills Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Claude E. Welch, MD, Suite 1104, Warren Building, 275 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114. can flourish even under adversity. Their major contributions to the surgery of the esophagus and replantation serve as outstanding examples. They

The China connection

The purpose of this article is to examine the prospect of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from the perspective of Bangladesh. The article investigates fundamental aspects of China’s economic inv...

The Prospect of Belt and Road Initiative in the Context of Bangladesh

China and South Asia

Spatial moments: Chittagong in four scenes

The predominant of multilateral international business between Bangladesh and China has expanded significantly in current times. The business friendship between two partners in improving across will deliver much assistance to the economy of both nations. However, some of the researchers have properly explored the familiarity between these countries. The initial objective is to emphasize and highlights the international export trade between these two partners, particularly, the opportunities in and importance of principal aptitude of trade. To detail the business model, we here apply the trade intensity index. The findings have been used to find strong areas for future contributions between these two partners to strengthen the economy and to seek diplomacy involvement for ongoing trade and monetary prosperity.

Bilateral Export Trading Analysis between Bangladesh and China: Opportunities and Prospects

This article argues that the so-called Chinese string of pearls policy needs to be examined from the perspectives of those small countries of this maritime region that are said to be supporting Chinese strategic interests in the region by providing naval bases to China. Bangladesh neither has compelling strategic reasons to be part of an anti-India policy nor is its economy dependent only on the Chinese economy—a situation which could have pushed it into such a strategy. Therefore, apprehensions of the Indian strategic community of Sino-Bangladeshi relations constituting a larger anti-India design are somewhat misplaced. Bangladesh is likely to continue to pursue a policy of making best of its relations with both countries, even though an anti-India bias in certain sections of Bangladeshi society and politics will persist. In the post-Cold War, countries are focused on how to reap the dividends of economic globalisation and such hostile policies are anachronistic and counterproductive especially from the ...

Prashant Kumar Singh

Papers

China–Bangladesh Relations: Acquiring a Life of their Own