Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday had separate
meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
The Bangladesh prime minister had meetings with the Chinese
premier in the morning and the Chinese president in the afternoon at Great Hall
of the People here. The Bangladesh prime minister's bilateral visit to China
has formally ended with the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The
premier held her last discussions with Xi Jinping in a recent meeting on the
sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa The landmark
visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh in 2016 has elevated
bilateral relations to the level of "Strategic Partnership of
Cooperation". The Bangladesh premier also held a delegation-level
bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang at the Great Hall of
the People on Wednesday morning. Following the meeting, Bangladesh and China
signed 21 instruments including several Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs).
The MoUs on cooperation in the economic and banking sector,
trade and investment, digital economy, infrastructure development, assistance
in disaster management, construction of 6th and 9th Bangladesh-China friendship
bridges, export of agricultural products from Bangladesh and people to people
connectivity have been signed. In her meetings with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang,
the entire gamut of the bilateral relations alongside the regional and
international matters came for discussions. The issues like Rohingya,
cooperation on business, trade, commerce and development dominated the
discussions. The prime minister on Monday afternoon arrived in Beijing on a
three-day bilateral visit at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart.
This is the prime minister's fourth visit to China (2010,
2014, 2019, and 2024). The two countries would celebrate the golden jubilee of
the diplomatic relations next year. This visit of the Bangladesh premier to
China has taken place within 15 days after her last visit to India from June 21
to 22. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited China
twice, in 1952 and 1957. He met with great leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou En Lai.
Following his visit, he wrote a book titled “Amar Dekha Naya Chin,” (The
New China as I Saw) reflecting his admiration for the Chinese leadership and
their policies.
