Bangladesh’s Yunus visits China days before taking over as BIMSTEC chair

Dhaka: Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh, left Dhaka on Wednesday for a four-day official visit to China during which he will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on March 28.

Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain, Muhammad Fouzul (Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; Road Transport and Bridges; and Railways Advisor), Kabir Khan (High Representative to Chief Advisor), Khalilur Rahman (Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs) and Lamiya Morshed (Senior Secretary) and CA’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam are accompanying Yunus on the trip.

This is Yunus’s first visit to China since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

Immediately after, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen had conveyed the Chinese leadership’s invitation to Yunus to visit China at his convenience.

Local media quoted Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin as saying that several bilateral agreements, including in the areas of human resource development, economic and technical assistance, cultural and sports cooperation, and cooperation between the media, are expected to be signed between the two countries during Yunus’s visit. He said that announcements related to economy, investment, and economic zones are also likely to be made.

In January 2025, Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain was in Beijing on a five-day visit which signalled Dhaka’s desire to build momentum in China-Bangladesh relations, irrespective of the massive chaos in the country.

“China had a certain sense of uncertainty and hesitation concerning its ties with Bangladesh after the July mass uprising, concerned about the safety of its people involved in various mega projects in Bangladesh,” Bangladesh’s leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported.

Muhammad Yunus’ visit to China comes just ahead of the Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit which is scheduled to be held in Bangkok from April 2-4.

Bangladesh will take as the next chair of BIMSTEC at the summit.

IANS