“No matter where I am, whether there is a pandemic or not, my past, present and future are all related to China.”

The 38-year-old Bangladeshi, Mr. MD.ZAKIRHOSSAINKHAN, whose Chinese name is Zha Kan(扎坎), participated in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for the first time this year, but his fate with China has lasted for nearly 20 years. Zha Kan came to Shanghai in 2009 as a graduate student majoring in Business Management in the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University (Tongji SEM), tutored by Prof. YAN Shumin. He continued to study for a Ph.D. in Technology Economics and Management at Tongji SEM, tutored by Prof. CHEN Song. This is also the beginning of his fate with Shanghai. Now, he has been living in Shanghai for more than 12 years.

Zha Kan graduated from Dhaka University, a leading university in Bangladesh. His father was an anti-drug police officer. After retiring, he began to import furniture from Foshan, China to Bangladesh. When Zha Kan was a student, he helped to take care of his family business. He’s fluent in English, thus he was responsible for tele-communication with Chinese suppliers in Foshan and verification of documents. As the family business grew bigger and bigger, Zha Kan decided to learn more about China and seek broader opportunities. The best way is to study abroad.

In September 2009, Zha Kan became a graduate student majoring in Business Management at Tongji SEM. At that time, he seized every opportunity to learn about China. In 2010, he signed up to serve as a volunteer in the Africa Joint Pavilion in the Expo Park in Shanghai, China. The volunteer experience gave him a deeper feeling of China and more ideas for expanding Sino-Bangladesh trade. Four months after coming to Shanghai, he met a Chinese girl named GENG Shufeng. After graduating from Shanghai International Studies University, GENG Shufeng worked in Tongji SEM. They had been in love for 5 years, and then got married. The couple settled their home in Nanxiang, Jiading District.

During this period, Zha Kan completed his Ph.D. His family business also stepped up to a new stage. In 2017, taking into account the local adjustments in Bangladesh’s tariffs on imported furniture containing metal parts, his family and Chinese partners decided to open a factory in Bangladesh, that is to use Bangladesh’s land resources and processing advantages, China’s processing technology and the way of management to further reduce costs and increase efficiency. That means that Zha Kan’s family business is more closely connected with China. This year, Zha Kan successfully signed up to participate in the 4th CIIE. The huge trade deficit is an opportunity for Zha Kan. Having been an importer for more than ten years, Zha Kan is interested in playing the role of an exporter this time. “I want to bring more high-quality Bangladeshi brand products to China.” Zha Kan said. He also mentioned that if the pandemic is over, he may restart the furniture factory in Bangladesh, “But in any case, my career is always tied to China.”