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Bangladesh and China are set to sign 15 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in various sectors following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Spokesperson Mahdi Amin said the agreements are expected to further strengthen the longstanding partnership between the two countries. Following the talks, Premier Li will host a state banquet in honour of Bangladesh Prime Minister and his delegation.
Tarique Rahman is also scheduled to meet Xi Jinping on Friday morning, where issues of national interest and bilateral cooperation will be discussed.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mahdi Amin said the visit aims to enhance Bangladesh-China cooperation in trade, investment, employment generation, education, culture, information technology, healthcare and people-to-people exchanges, while reinforcing Bangladesh's balanced foreign policy and strategic position.
Earlier on Thursday, Tarique Rahman met Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying. The two sides discussed cooperation on river management, flood mitigation, dredging, erosion control, irrigation, navigation and the proposed Teesta Master Plan. The Chinese side expressed interest in expanding collaboration through research, training and institutional capacity building.
To promote investment, an "Invest Bangladesh" event was jointly organised by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), attended by senior executives and owners of around 80 leading Chinese companies.
During the event, the Prime Minister highlighted the government's economic and administrative reforms aimed at improving the investment climate. He invited Chinese businesses to invest in Bangladesh, describing the country as a competitive, reliable and profitable destination for manufacturing and industry.
According to the PMO spokesperson, the government is implementing a special 180-day action plan to facilitate investment, developing economic zones in Anwara and Mongla, establishing Bangladesh's first investment office in China, offering incentives in priority sectors, and ensuring new investment licences are issued within 15 days.
Tarique Rahman also held a party-to-party meeting with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political, economic and people-to-people ties. During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Communist Party of China.
Mahdi Amin said the Prime Minister's engagements with senior Chinese leaders, investors and major corporations are expected to open new avenues for investment, trade and development cooperation, taking Bangladesh-China relations to a new level.
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