A visiting delegation from China's Yunnan Province met with Bangladeshi officials and business leaders in Dhaka on Sunday to explore avenues for expanding bilateral trade, investment, and broader economic cooperation between Bangladesh and Yunnan.

Mohammad Hasan Arif, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive (Additional Secretary) of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), presided over the meeting.

The discussions focused on strengthening existing trade ties, creating new market opportunities, establishing business connections, and expanding mutual trade prospects between Bangladesh and Yunnan Province.

Led by the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province, the Chinese delegation comprised government officials, entrepreneurs, and business leaders representing various sectors.

The meeting emphasized facilitating direct communication and business partnerships between Yunnan-based enterprises and Bangladeshi government agencies, trade associations, and private sector stakeholders.

Members of the Yunnan delegation expressed keen interest in conducting market research, appointing local agents and distributors, exploring import-export opportunities in agricultural and agro-based products, utilizing logistics services, and gaining insights into Bangladesh’s commercial infrastructure, including Chittagong Port.

The Yunnan Department of Commerce proposed several initiatives, including assessing market demand in Bangladesh for construction materials, engineering products, and agricultural machinery. Their proposals also highlighted visiting local trade exhibitions and commercial markets, building distribution and logistics networks, and expanding exports of agricultural and light industrial goods.

Additionally, the meeting explored creating stronger trade linkages between Yunnan’s product offerings and Bangladeshi textiles and specialized agricultural products.

EPB Vice Chairman Mohammad Hasan Arif underscored the need to complement government-level cooperation with robust Business-to-Business (B2B) interactions, market integration, and strategic commercial partnerships to make economic ties between Bangladesh and Yunnan more dynamic and fruitful.

Both sides agreed to maintain continuous communication across sectors of mutual interest to establish effective commercial links between the business communities of Bangladesh and Yunnan Province.