2024 state visit by Sheikh Hasina to China
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| Date | July 8–10, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Beijing |
| Organised by |
At the invitation of Premier of China Li Qiang, Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, paid an official visit to China from July 8 to 10, 2024.[1]
In June, Hasina had visited India. So this visit to China is also seen as her attempt to seek opportunities to mediate between China and India.[2][3][4]
On June 24, Hasina met in Dhaka with Liu Jianchao, minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, who led a delegation to Bangladesh.[5]
On July 4, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference that the visit is Hasina's first visit to China since she started her new term. The two leaders will have an in-depth exchange of views on deepening traditional friendship, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation and international and regional issues of common concern. Hasina will also attend the China-Bangladesh Business Trade and Investment Conference.[6]
Itinerary
Hasina arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport on July 8, 2024.[7]
On July 9, Hasina called on the president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Jin Liqun, for extending the cooperation and investment matters. Then, Hasina attended the Bangladesh-China Summit on "Trade, Business and Investment Opportunities" at the China International Exhibition Center of the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing. In the afternoon, she met with Wang Huning, the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), in Beijing.[8][9] The Premier then laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square.[7]
On the morning of July 10, Premier Li Qiang held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Hasina. After the talks, the two premiers witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of policy exchanges, economy, trade and investment, digital economy, inspection and quarantine, healthcare, education and media. The two sides announced the completion of the joint feasibility study on China-Bangladesh FTA and agreed to start negotiations on upgrading the China–Bangladesh Investment Agreement. The two sides agreed to designate 2025 as the "Year of China-Bangladesh Humanities Exchange".[10] In the afternoon, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping met with Hasina at the Great Hall of the People. The two leaders announced the upgrading of China-Bangladesh relations to a "comprehensive strategic partnership".[11][12] The two sides positively commented on the completion of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River, modernization of the communication network, the Bangladesh Government Infrastructure Network Phase III project, the Single Point Mooring and Twin Line Pipeline projects. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress of major projects of China-Bangladesh cooperation such as Padma Bridge Railway Link, expansion and upgrading of Dhaka District Grid System, Grid Enhancement Project of Bangladesh Electricity Grid Corporation (BEGC), Dhaka–Ashulia Elevated Expressway, Rajshahi Surface Water Treatment Plant, etc.[13][14]
At 10 a.m. on the morning of July 11, she led the delegation back to Bangladesh.[7]