Hasina leaves for Beijing Monday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka for Beijing on a four-day bilateral visit tomorrow morning, which is believed to elevate the relations between Bangladesh and China to 'comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership' from 'strategic partnership'.

A chartered flight (BG1701) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members, will depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11am tomorrow which is scheduled to land at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 6 in the afternoon (Beijing time).

During her stay in Beijing from July 8 to 11, the Bangladesh Prime Minister will hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping alongside a delegation level bilateral meeting with her Chinese Counterpart Li Qiang on July 10.  Bangladesh and China are likely to sign 20 to 22 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day.

"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 are likely to be signed," Foreign minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said. During the visit, Hasan said, inauguration of a number of projects of the two countries will also be announced.  

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh in October 2016 when the relationship between the two countries had reached to a strategic partnership. Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina last visited Beijing in July 2019. She also visited China on multiple prior occasions.