PM receives state welcome in Beijing, 13 MoUs signed

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang received Prime Minister Tarique Rahman with state welcome in Beijing, the capital of China. He was given a 'red carpet' reception and a 'guard of honour'.

The formal reception was organized at the historic Great Hall of the People in Beijing at 4:30pm local time on Thursday (June 25).

According to sources in the Prime Minister's Office, 13 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between Bangladesh and China in the presence of the prime ministers of the two countries after the reception. These agreements are expected to further strengthen bilateral relations in trade, investment, infrastructure development, technology, economic cooperation and various areas of mutual interest.

This is Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first visit to China after assuming office as the head of government. Earlier, he visited Malaysia on June 21. Malaysia was his first official foreign visit after taking office as Prime Minister on February 17 after winning the 13th National Parliament elections.

After his visit to Malaysia, he arrived in Dalian, China, on Monday night. There, he participated in various programs of the World Economic Forum. After a two-day program, he arrived in Beijing from Dalian on Wednesday afternoon by high-speed bullet train.

As an important part of the Prime Minister's itinerary, a high-level bilateral meeting led by the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and China is scheduled to be held at the Great Hall of the People.

The Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Advisor Humayun Kabir said that the meeting will discuss the overall progress of Bangladesh-China relations, trade expansion, new investments, infrastructure development, regional cooperation and various issues of mutual interest.

It is worth noting that Tarique Rahman had previously visited China in 2001 as the accompanying person of the then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. During that visit, he was also present at the state reception organized at the Great Hall of the People. After almost 25 years, he received a state reception at the same place as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.