Prime Minister's China Visit
13 MOUs Signed
"The sincere and royal hospitality extended by the government of the People's Republic of China to the Honorable Prime Minister and his high-level delegation is a great source of pride and inspiration for us. Under the visionary leadership of the current government, we are committed to building a new era of relations with China based on mutual respect and equality, giving utmost priority to the 'Bangladesh First' policy."
Iqbal Majumder Tawhid from Beijing, China
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first visit to China has brought an unprecedented and historic turn in Dhaka-Bejing bilateral diplomatic and economic relations. On the third day of the four-day state visit, on Thursday, a total of 13 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in various important and strategic areas in the presence of the Prime Ministers of the two countries. The summit meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the historic 'Great Hall of the People' in Beijing and the signing of these agreements not only strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries but also create a new equation in the geopolitical landscape of South Asia.
Regarding the achievements and hospitality of the visit, Prime Minister's Adviser Mahdi Amin said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday afternoon, 'The sincere and royal hospitality extended by the government of the People's Republic of China to the Honorable Prime Minister and his high-level delegation is a great source of pride and inspiration for us. Under the visionary leadership of the current government, we are committed to building a new era of relations with China based on mutual respect and equality, giving utmost priority to the "Bangladesh First" policy.'
The four-day official visit, scheduled from June 23 to 26, has taken the multidimensional friendship between Bangladesh and China to a new height. The main bilateral and regional agendas gaining importance during the current visit include summit meetings with the Chinese President and Premier, bilateral discussions with the Chairman of the National People's Congress, reduction of trade deficit and Free Trade Agreement (FTA), increasing Chinese investment in Bangladesh, technology transfer, and infrastructure and water management cooperation.
After the four-day fruitful China visit, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will leave Beijing Capital International Airport for Dhaka on Friday afternoon. A high-level state delegation of 24 members accompanied the Prime Minister on this visit. The delegation includes Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie. Also included are three State Ministers—State Minister for Energy and Power Anindya Islam Amit, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Rashiduzzaman Millat. Among the Prime Minister's advisers are Humayun Kabir, A K M Shamsul Islam, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, and Mahdi Amin.
Notably, this is Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's second foreign visit since assuming office on February 17 after securing an absolute majority in the 13th parliamentary elections, but it is highly strategic. On June 21, he made his first state visit to Malaysia. After the two-day Malaysia visit, the Prime Minister arrived in Dalian, China on Monday night to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting. After participating in various international programs there for two days, he arrived in the capital Beijing on Wednesday afternoon on a special flight.
Royal Reception Like Parents at the Great Hall
Chinese Premier Li Qiang accorded a red carpet reception and a guard of honor by the armed forces to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the 'Great Hall of the People' located in the heart of Beijing. At 4:45 pm on Thursday, when the Prime Minister arrived at the Great Hall from the state guest house 'Diaoyutai' in Beijing in a well-decorated motorcade, Chinese Premier Li Qiang welcomed him with a warm handshake.
Then the two Prime Ministers were taken to the saluting dais, where an elite contingent of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) gave armed salutes to the heads of state of the two countries. At that time, the band played the national anthems of Bangladesh and China with great dignity, and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh was given state honors through cannonade. After the music, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspected the colorful parade of the armed forces. After the parade inspection, the members of the two delegations were introduced to each other. After the introduction, Chinese Premier Li Qiang took the Prime Minister of Bangladesh past the red carpet reception to the bilateral meeting room.
On the occasion of the Prime Minister's arrival, the 'Great Hall of the People' building on the western side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, along with its vast surrounding square and main roads, were decorated with the national flags of Bangladesh and China. Notably, the annual session of China's highest legislative body, the National People's Congress (NPC), is held in this historic building, and it is one of the main centers of China's state diplomacy.
Although this is Tarique Rahman's first visit to China since taking oath as Prime Minister, his relationship with Beijing is very old. Earlier, in 2001, he came to China as a companion of then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and at that time also he was present at the red carpet reception at this Great Hall.
Recalling this emotional legacy, Prime Minister's Adviser Mahdi Amin said, 'In 2002, the current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came to China with the then successful Prime Minister and national leader Begum Khaleda Zia and took many rich memories from this friendly country. His father, the advocate of multiparty democracy and founder of BNP, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, laid a strong foundation of Bangladesh-China friendship through historic state visits in 1977 and 1980. Later, his mother, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, strengthened that bilateral relationship to a unique height through seven memorable and fruitful visits. Carrying on that political, state, and family tradition, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is determined to take the Bangladesh-China strategic partnership to a higher level to meet the challenges of the 21st century.'
13 Historic MOUs Signed
On Thursday afternoon, 13 important Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in the presence of the Prime Ministers of the two countries to expand economic, technological, and institutional cooperation between Bangladesh and China. In the contract signing room of the Great Hall, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, secretaries of the respective ministries, and senior officials of the Economic Relations Division signed these agreements on behalf of Bangladesh. At a special press conference held in Beijing on Thursday evening, Prime Minister's Office spokesperson and adviser Mahdi Amin and Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir presented the details of the 13 MOUs.
The main areas of the signed MOUs are:
- Investment and Environment-Friendly Development: A joint action plan has been signed to encourage 'Green Development' or environmentally sustainable industrialization to increase investment cooperation between the two countries.
- Export Capacity and Trade Expansion: An understanding has been reached on duty-free access of Bangladeshi readymade garments, agricultural products, and other products to the vast Chinese market and increasing export capacity.
- Soft Loans: Both countries have agreed on reducing interest rates, increasing grace periods, and adding flexible conditions for the loans Bangladesh is taking from China for various development projects.
- Global Development Initiative (GDI): An important MoU has been signed to work jointly on health, education, and overall human resource development in Bangladesh under China's global development initiative.
- Agricultural Product Export (Jackfruit): A special protocol agreement on quarantine and customs has been signed for direct export of Bangladesh's national fruit jackfruit to China, which will open new doors for Bangladesh's agricultural economy.
- Education and Technical Language Education: Two separate education cooperation agreements have been signed on including the Chinese language 'Mandarin' in Bangladeshi school curricula and improving technical and vocational education.
- Media and Think Tank Forum: Four separate MOUs have been signed to increase institutional communication between the state television, national news agencies, and influential think tanks of the two countries to enhance information exchange and cultural ties.
- Economic Zone and Industrial Investment: Referring to the investment-related understanding, Mahdi Amin said that a separate agreement has been made between the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Chinese Investment Board. Under this, large-scale Chinese investment will be attracted to Chittagong's Anwara and Mongla Economic Zones. Employment will be created for a huge number of Bangladeshi youths by setting up new Chinese factories and production facilities there.
Agreement between CPC and BNP
Earlier on Thursday morning, a historic party-level MoU was signed between the ruling party of China, the 'Chinese Communist Party' (CPC), and the party currently in state power in Bangladesh, the 'Bangladesh Nationalist Party' (BNP), at the state guest house 'Diaoyutai' in Beijing.
Humayun Kabir, BNP's International Affairs Secretary and Adviser to the Prime Minister, and Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Relations Department of the Chinese Communist Party, signed the MoU. BNP Chairman and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party were present.
Under this party-level understanding, mutual communication, delegation exchange, and political cooperation between the two historic political parties will increase further. Top CPC leaders expressed hope that new areas of cooperation will be created in the future, especially in the fields of media, think tanks, people-to-people connections, and improvement of grassroots living standards. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also expressed hope that the long-standing legacy of political and state relations between the two countries will be further consolidated through this agreement.
Meeting with Water Resources Minister: Positive Response on Teesta Project
As one of the main and sensitive agendas of the visit, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his delegation held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying. The meeting was held at the Diaoyutai Guest House on Thursday at 12 pm local time. In the meeting, a historic consensus was reached on increasing cooperation between the two countries in the comprehensive management and dredging of various transboundary rivers, including the 'Teesta River', known as the lifeline of North Bengal.
In the meeting, the Prime Minister mentioned the ongoing national river dredging program in Bangladesh to tackle flood risks, protect the environment, and properly manage water resources, seeking technical and financial cooperation from China. He particularly expected China's role in implementing the 'Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project'. In response, the Chinese Water Resources Minister gave a positive response, saying, 'Following the MoU signed between us in 2005 and the visit of Chinese water experts to Bangladesh last year, this bilateral cooperation will be fully practical and research-based. Bangladesh can benefit from China's long experience in river management.'
'Invest Bangladesh' Conference and Establishment of First Investment Office
To create a wave of Chinese investment in Bangladesh, a high-level business summit titled 'Invest Bangladesh' was held in Beijing on Thursday morning jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Bangladesh's BIDA. Chairmen, CEOs, and top business representatives of about 80 top-tier global industrial groups of China participated in the conference.
Welcoming Chinese investors to Bangladesh, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said in his keynote speech, 'The current government is implementing massive economic, financial, and administrative reforms in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is now the most competitive, reliable, and profitable destination for manufacturing and industrial sectors in South Asia.'
He said that the current government is implementing a '180-day special fast-track action plan' to ensure the investment environment. The Prime Minister further announced that Bangladesh's first 'Investment Office' is being established in Beijing to facilitate Chinese businessmen, and from now on, investors will be provided new licenses and one-stop service within less than 15 days, avoiding bureaucratic complexities.
Summit Meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Today
On the last day of the visit, i.e., on Friday at 10:30 am Beijing time, the much-anticipated bilateral summit meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be held at the historic Great Hall.
In this highest-level meeting, final discussions will naturally be held on mega projects such as Bangladesh's economic sovereignty, regional security, sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, maintaining trade balance, and implementation of the Teesta Master Plan. Diplomatic circles of both countries hope that this meeting between the two top leaders will bring very positive and epoch-making results for the economic development and geopolitical security of the people of Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister's Press Wing said that after the meeting with the President, the Prime Minister will meet with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and visit the historic National Museum of China. Then at 5 pm today, the Prime Minister and his entourage will leave Beijing Airport for Dhaka on a special flight.
Concluding the press conference, Adviser Mahdi Amin said, 'After a long time, as a democratically elected head of government through the direct vote of the people, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is receiving immense prestige and respect in the international arena, which is a pride for the entire 170 million people of Bangladesh. The way he is implementing a balanced and dynamic foreign policy while keeping independence and sovereignty intact has re-established Bangladesh as a self-respecting state in the world.'
