Online Desk :  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached home after wrapping up her three-day bilateral visit to the Chinese capital Beijing today. The Premier went to Beijing on Monday afternoon at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang. A special flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 12:30 am, BSS reports. The flight earlier departed the Beijing Capital International Airport for home at 10:05 pm (local time) on Wednesday.

During her stay in Beijing from 8 to 10, the Bangladesh prime minister held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside a delegation level bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on July 10. Bangladesh and China signed 21 documents and made announcement of seven projects following a delegation level bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister and her Chinese counterpart at Great Hall of the People, Beijing on Wednesday afternoon. The documents of cooperation were signed and exchanged between the two sides in presence of the two Prime Ministers.

The instruments signed 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. After attending the bilateral meeting and the signing ceremony, the Prime Minister attended a welcome banquet (lunch) in her honour hosted by her Chinese counterpart at Great Hall of the People. Earlier on July 10 morning, Bangladesh Prime Minister was accorded a red carpet reception as she reached Great Hall of the People to have a bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang. On her arrival at the premises of the Great Hall of the People, the Prime Minister was received by the Chinese Premier. Sheikh Hasina arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon.

This visit of the Bangladesh premier to China has taken place within 15 days after her last visit to India from June 21 to 22. The visit is believed to elevate the relations between Bangladesh and China to “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” from “strategic partnership”. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh in October, 2016 when the relationship between the two countries had reached a strategic partnership. Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina last visited Beijing in July, 2019. She also visited China on multiple prior occasions.

The two countries would celebrate the golden jubilee of the diplomatic relations next year. During her second day of visit to the Chinese capital, On July 9, 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 of the People’s Heroes at Tiananmen Square. In the evening, she attended a dinner hosted in her honour by Ambassador of Bangladesh to China at Bangladesh House in Beijing.