Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain will visit China from 20-24 January to discuss bilateral issues and Chinese investment in Bangladesh, Rafiqul Alam, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said at the weekly briefing at the ministry on Thursday.
"This will be the first bilateral trip of the Foreign Adviser to any country after taking charge.
However, the adviser is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart during the visit. The complete agenda for the trip is still being finalised," he told the media.
According to him, the adviser will also hold a meeting with business representatives in Shanghai to encourage increased Chinese investment in Bangladesh.
"The fate of ongoing projects, progress in ongoing collaborations in areas such as agriculture, education, infrastructure, renewable energy, and a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis will be reviewed to outline the future framework of bilateral relations," the spokesperson said.
He mentioned that China was the first to send a high-level medical team of 10 experts from the National Health Commission of China for the treatment of injured people during the anti-discrimination student movement, where several students and people were injured.
"This team visited multiple hospitals, provided medical assistance, and assured support for establishing a specialised hospital and rehabilitation centre for the injured. Bangladesh is expected to express interest in advancing these discussions during the visit," he said.
He said the foreign adviser is also anticipated to deliver speeches at the China Institute of International Studies and the Shanghai Institute of International Studies.
Replying to a question, Rafiqul Alam said that the annual trade volume between Bangladesh and China stands at approximately $25 billion, although it is not favourable to Bangladesh.
"It is expected that discussions will include rebalancing trade dynamics and increasing Chinese investments in various sectors of Bangladesh," he said.
