Bangladesh and China are likely to sign around 20 MoUs and make announcements on inauguration of some development projects during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official visit to China that begins on Monday eyeing stronger development and economic cooperation. Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud came up with the updates while briefing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday (July 07, 2024) afternoon. “Bangladesh will seek China's assistance in the areas of investment and trade; financial assistance and repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland. At the same time, Bangladesh will continue to provide support to China as its friend in the global context,” he said. Hasan expressed optimism that the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister to China will be successful and fruitful. At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang of the State Council, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay the visit on July 8-11 which is expected to "outline a new blueprint for practical cooperation" in various fields and provide an opportunity for the two countries to coordinate their positions on regional and international affairs. On the third day of the visit on July 10, the Prime Minister will meet Premier and State Council of China Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People, Hasan said. A reception will be organized in honor of the Prime Minister at the beginning of the meeting. There the Prime Minister will be given a guard of honor and received with due respect. At the same place, the Prime Minister and State Council of China will hold a bilateral meeting with high-level delegations from the two countries. The MoUs are likely to be signed in presence of the two leaders and inauguration of some projects will be announced. Hasan said there is a possibility of signing MoUs on economic and banking sectors, trade and investment front, digital economy, infrastructure development, assistance in disaster management, construction of 6th and 9th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, export of agricultural products from Bangladesh, disaster management and people-to-people connectivity. The meeting will be followed by a banquet in honor of the Prime Minister, he said. In the afternoon of July 10, the foreign minister said, the Prime Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with President of China Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. Bangladesh and China will issue a joint statement on the occasion of the visit of the Prime Minister, he said. Earlier on July 9, the Prime Minister will have a meeting with Jin Liqun, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. On the same day, the Prime Minister will participate in the Shangri-La conference titled "Summit on Trade, Business and Investment Opportunities between Bangladesh and China." A business delegation from Bangladesh will visit China to participate in the conference. The Prime Minister will also hold a meeting with Wang Huning, Chairman of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). She will pay her tribute to the traditional Tiananmen Square. She will also attend a dinner hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing. Read more: Unlocking China’s market: Strategies for Bangladesh to enhance exports During the Prime Minister's visit to China, Finance Minister AH Mahmood Ali, the Foreign Minister, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, State Minister fort Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and other high level government officials will accompany the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will leave Dhaka at 11am by Bangladesh Biman Airlines special flight and will land at Beijing International Airport at 6pm local time in China on the same day. She will leave China on July 11 in a special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight and land in Dhaka at 2pm. Bangladesh’s Priorities Responding to a question, Hasan said Bangladesh’s development and economic cooperation will get the priority. He said there will be no agreements but only MoUs will be signed between the two countries. Asked about various Chinese proposals, Hasan said Bangladesh accepts any proposal when it meets Bangladesh’s needs and set parameters. “Any proposal from China is of course encouraging for us but we will take decision later after verification,” he said. Responding to a question on offshore banking, the foreign minister said it is open for all and any individual or company can avail of the opportunity in Bangladesh. Read more: Bangladesh to seek $7 billion fund from China to boost trade in business summit during PM's visit “If any country wants to keep money in our central bank they can but the important issue is that with whom we are comfortable,” he added.  Responding to another question, Hasan said the renewal of the MoU between Bangladesh Awami League and Communist Party of China (CPC) may take place later, instead of during this visit. He said a high-level AL delegation led by a presidium member will go to China later when the MoU can be renewed. Hasan said there is huge trade gap between Bangladesh and China and the two countries will explore ways to export more from Bangladesh lifting non-tariff barriers. He said Bangladesh has deep relations with China and the visit will help strengthen and widen the relations. Responding to a question on Teesta, Hasan said Teesta is a joint river shared with India and they have given a proposal which is good. Breakthroughs in Pragmatic Cooperation Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said they will reach an "important consensus" and sign multiple cooperation documents and MoUs in a number of areas during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official visit to Beijing. The areas are infrastructure, free trade agreement, and agricultural product exports to China, Southern Bangladesh’s Development, digital economy, disaster prevention, poverty alleviation, clean energy, healthcare, education and cultural exchanges. Through this visit, China said, the two sides will achieve “new breakthroughs in pragmatic cooperation”, bringing more benefits to the people of both countries, said the Ambassador who termed the forthcoming visit a milestone in bilateral relations. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning on Thursday said this will be Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's first visit to China since her new term began and five years after her last visit to China. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Premier Li Qiang will hold a welcoming ceremony and have talks with her. The two prime ministers will attend the signing ceremony of cooperation documents. "Leaders of the two countries will have an in-depth exchange of views on how to deepen traditional friendship and expand mutually beneficial cooperation and on regional and international issues of mutual interest," said the Spokesperson. Prime Minister Hasina will also attend the Summit on Trade, Business and Investment Opportunities between China and Bangladesh, she said. "We have similar visions for development and well-aligned development strategies. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 49 years ago, the two countries have treated each other with respect and equality, engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation, supported each other on issues concerning our respective core interests, and jointly advanced modernization," said the Spokesperson. She said they have set a good example of friendship and cooperation between developing countries. In recent years, with the strategic guidance and commitment of leaders of our two countries, the two sides have deepened Bangladesh-China strategic cooperative partnership, and had fruitful and practical cooperation in various fields. Read more: PM Hasina’s upcoming visit to boost China-Bangladesh cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues, says Ambassador "China stands ready to work with Bangladesh through this visit to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, deepen political mutual trust, further synergize development strategies, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, speed up implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and elevate our bilateral relations to a new level," said the Spokesperson. The Chinese side said it stands ready to take this visit as an opportunity to further deepen political mutual trust between the two countries, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, consolidate traditional friendship, and work together to realize the Chinese Dream of National Rejuvenation and Bangladesh’s “Vision 2041”.