PM Tarique to meet Xi today

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping today at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in a high-profile engagement expected to further strengthen Bangladesh-China relations and advance bilateral cooperation.

The meeting, set for 10:30am local time (8:30am Bangladesh time), will be one of the key events of the prime minister’s four-day visit to China.

Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin said the prime minister is expected to raise a number of issues related to Bangladesh’s interests during the meeting with the Chinese president.

“He is expected to bring positive results that will further strengthen the development journey of the people of Bangladesh,” Mahdi Amin told reporters in Beijing.

Apart from the meeting with President Xi, Tarique Rahman is also scheduled to meet Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and visit the National Museum of China before concluding his visit and departing for Dhaka later in the day.

The meeting comes a day after the prime minister held bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and witnessed the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering various sectors of cooperation between Bangladesh and China.

This is Tarique Rahman’s first visit to China as prime minister. He is accompanied by a 24-member delegation comprising ministers, advisers and senior government officials.