PM leaves Beijing for Dhaka Wednesday night

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Beijing for Dhaka on Wednesday night, wrapping up her bilateral visit to China.

A special flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members will depart Beijing Capital International Airport at 10pm (local time) on Wednesday and is scheduled to land at 1am (Bangladesh time) after midnight, foreign ministry sources said.

The premier was earlier scheduled to leave Beijing for Dhaka on Thursday morning.

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During her stay in Beijing from 8-10 July, the Bangladesh prime minister will have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside a delegation level bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on Wednesday.

Hasina will end her visit after holding a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jingping on Wednesday afternoon.

The visit is aimed at elevating the relations between Bangladesh and China to “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” from “strategic partnership”.

Bangladesh and China are likely to sign 20 to 22 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on Wednesday.

PM Hasina reaches Beijing to start 4-day official visit to China

“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 Hasan Mahmud said on Sunday at a curtain raiser press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka.

During the visit, Hasan said inauguration of a number of projects of the two countries will also be announced.

Chinese President Xi visited Bangladesh in October, 2016 when the relationship between the two countries had reached a strategic partnership.

Hasina last visited Beijing in July 2019. She also visited China on multiple prior occasions.

The two countries would celebrate the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations next year.

This visit of the Bangladesh premier to China is going to take place within 15 days after her last visit to India from 21-22 June.

On 9 July, the second day of Sheikh Hasina’s visit to China, President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun paid a courtesy call on her at the Meeting Room of her Place of Residence.

Afterwards, the prime minister joined a summit on Trade, Business and Investment Opportunities between Bangladesh and China at the China World Summit Wing, Shangri-La Circle, Beijing, China.

In the afternoon, a meeting was held between the prime minister and the president of Consultative Party Wang Huning at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.

The prime minister later placed a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes at Tiananmen Square.

In the evening, she will attend a dinner hosted in her honour by the Ambassador of Bangladesh to China at Bangladesh House in Beijing.

On Wednesday, a delegation level bilateral meeting led by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang will be held at the Great Hall of the People where numerous documents that include Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be signed in their presence.

She will later attend a welcome banquet (lunch) in honour of her hosted by the premier of the State Council of China at the same venue.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Bangladesh prime minister will pay a call on Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.