DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh's transitional government head, Muhammad Yunus, warned Thursday that the protracted crisis in Myanmar threatens regional stability during his address at the Boao Forum for Asia conference in China.

The internal conflict between Myanmar's junta regime, which seized power in 2021, and rebel groups has escalated, worsening the humanitarian crisis and displacing millions of people.

Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during his visit to Bangladesh, urged Myanmar to protect its citizens as communal tensions and violence in the Buddhist-majority nation continue to deepen the crisis and displace more Rohingya refugees.

In his address at the forum, held in the coastal city of Boao in southern China's Hainan province, Yunus called on Asian leaders to unite in ensuring the safe and dignified repatriation of displaced Rohingya to Myanmar, as global efforts to address the crisis are dwindling.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, who fled Myanmar’s crackdown in 2017.

Yunus is on a four-day visit to China, his first since taking office in August 2024.

He also addressed other global concerns, saying the crisis in Palestine is not just an Arab or Muslim issue, but a humanitarian one. He added that ongoing tensions in Ukraine are putting a heavy toll on the global supply chain.

Yunus' comments came as the US and India sent messages to Bangladesh on its Independence Day, which the South Asian nation celebrated on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump, in a letter to Yunus, said: "I am confident that we can advance our bilateral economic development while we strengthen our relationship and work together on promoting regional security in the Indo-Pacific."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sought to advance the partnership between the neighboring nations.

The Boao Forum, founded in 2001, is dedicated to promoting regional economic integration and fostering closer ties between Asian countries to achieve their development goals.

This year’s conference, running from March 25 to 28, is themed "Asia in the Changing World: Towards a Shared Future."