Bangladesh and China on Thursday signed 13 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering various areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The MoUs were signed following bilateral talks between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, focusing on Bangladesh-China relations, trade, investment, infrastructure development and other issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman led the Bangladesh delegation while Premier Li Qiang headed the Chinese side during the talks.

The signing of the MoUs is expected to elevate bilateral cooperation between the two countries to a new level.

The MoUs were signed by Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon, and two senior Bangladeshi officials.

Briefing reporters in the evening at the Fang Fei Hall of Diaoyutai Hotel, Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Spokesperson Mahdi Amin said the agreements cover a number of aeras, including investment cooperation, trade expansion, human resource development, education, health and media collaboration.

Investment cooperation, promotion of green development, and the formulation of joint action plans to strengthen bilateral collaboration have also been covered, he said. “The discussions also focused on enhancing Bangladesh’s export capacity to increase shipments to the Chinese market, as well as expanding development cooperation in various sectors,” he said.

Mahdi Amin noted that both sides discussed ways to improve the terms of Chinese concessional loans to Bangladesh, including the possibility of lowering interest rates and extending grace periods.

“MoUs were also signed under the framework of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), covering cooperation in health, education, manpower capacity building, and other development-related areas aimed at strengthening institutional and human resource capacities,” he added.

A different cooperation plan on human resource development was also signed, while another MoU was concluded to facilitate the export of Bangladesh's national fruit, jackfruit, to China, the PMO spokesperson added.

He said two separate MoUs were signed on introducing Mandarin language education in school curriculum in Bangladesh and enhancing cooperation in technical and vocational education.

The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in the media sector of the two countries and strengthen collaboration among think tanks of Bangladesh and China, said Mahdi Amin, also Prime Minister’s adviser.

Four MoUs were signed involving state-owned television channels and newspapers of the two countries to enhance exchanges and cooperation, he said.

About the investment-related MoU, the PMO spokesperson said a deal was inked to attract greater Chinese investment in the economic zones of Anwara in Chattogram and Mongla in Bagerhat.

“There is a separate MoU on how we can set up new Chinese factories, Chinese production facilities in the economic zones in Bangladesh... and generate employment through them," he said.

About four MoUs related to media cooperation, a press release from the PMO said the four important documents were signed with China's Xinhua News Agency and China Media Group (CMG).

Information and Broadcasting Minister Swapon signed the instruments on behalf of Bangladesh.

According to the PMO release, the MoUs will promote bilateral cooperation in news and information exchange, establish long-term partnerships in the media sector, facilitate joint research on issues relating to Global South media, and expand cooperation and experience-sharing in broadcasting and the use of technology.

The MoUs are expected to further strengthen the long-standing friendship between Bangladesh and China and open new avenues of cooperation in the media and information sectors.

Earlier in the day, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) signed an MoU to enhance communication between the two parties.

BNP Joint Secretary General (International Affairs) Humaiun Kobir and Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Liu Haixing signed the MoU on behalf of their respective parties in the presence of BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing.

Under the MoU, the two parties are expected to enhance communication and cooperation, particularly in the fields of media, think tanks, people-to-people exchanges and initiatives aimed at improving living standards.