Xi Jinping and Bangladesh: From Historic Visits to a Shared Future
As China celebrates its 77th National Day on 1 October 2026, it is worth reflecting on the remarkable journey of China–Bangladesh relations through the role of President Xi Jinping.
For Bangladesh, understanding Xi is not merely about understanding the leader of a rising global power; it is also about understanding a leader whose tenure has coincided with an important period in the transformation of Bangladesh–China relations.
My own connection with China goes back to 1988, when I first arrived in Beijing as a government scholarship student at Beijing Language Institute, now Beijing Language and Culture University.
Since then, China has remained an important part of my professional and personal life—as a Chinese-language graduate, interpreter, educator and researcher, and as someone who has closely followed Bangladesh–China relations.
From the grassroots to the centre of Chinese leadership
Xi Jinping’s political journey has taken him from China’s rural grassroots to the highest levels of the Party and state. Born in 1953, he spent his youth in Liangjiahe village in Shaanxi after being sent there as an “educated youth”.
He joined the Communist Party of China in 1974 and became the village Party branch secretary. He later studied at Tsinghua University and served in Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai before reaching China’s top leadership.
This long experience exposed him to rural development, local administration, investment, reform and economic development at different levels.
He became General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012 and President of China in 2013. His leadership period has coincided with major advances in China’s modernization, infrastructure, technology and poverty-reduction efforts.
Whatever one’s assessment of China’s political system or individual policies, the scale of China’s transformation during this period cannot be ignored.
Xi Jinping and Bangladesh: a relationship that deepened
Xi’s first visit to Bangladesh was in June 2010, when he was Vice President of China. During his 14–15 June visit, he met Bangladesh’s political leadership as the two countries sought to strengthen their “closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation”.
Contemporary reports highlighted cooperation in connectivity, infrastructure, trade and investment, including discussions on a possible Dhaka–Kunming connection and a deep-sea port.
One particularly memorable aspect was Xi’s meeting with then Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia.
On 15 June, she led a nine-member delegation to meet him at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel and discussed infrastructure, connectivity, economic and defence cooperation. Contemporary reporting also noted Xi’s invitation to her to visit China.
I had the privilege of interpreting for former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on numerous China-related engagements during my active military service.
I missed the opportunity to interpret for Xi Jinping, however, as I had retired from the Bangladesh Army in early 2008. Nevertheless, my subsequent work in Chinese-language education and my long engagement with China have allowed me to follow the relationship from close range.
The 2016 turning point
Xi returned to Bangladesh as President in October 2016. His 14–15 October state visit marked a major milestone, with the two countries agreeing to establish a Strategic Partnership of Cooperation.
The discussions covered infrastructure, energy, transportation, ICT, agriculture, water, maritime affairs and people-to-people exchanges.
The significance of 2016 went beyond the agreements signed during the visit. It provided a broader framework for expanding Chinese participation in Bangladesh’s development, including railways, roads, power, telecommunications, water and other infrastructure. The relationship also became increasingly connected with Belt and Road cooperation.
From strategic partnership to a shared future
The year 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and was designated the Year of China–Bangladesh People-to-People Exchanges.
These milestones demonstrated that the relationship had moved beyond traditional trade and development assistance to encompass infrastructure, manufacturing, technology, education, human-resource development, maritime cooperation and wider people-to-people contacts.
As someone involved in Chinese-language education in Bangladesh, I have witnessed growing interest in learning Chinese. I believe language can become one of the most practical bridges between the peoples of the two countries.
A new chapter in 2026
The relationship entered another stage on 26 June 2026, when President Xi Jinping met Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Beijing.
The two leaders jointly announced the decision to build a China–Bangladesh community with a shared future in the new era, elevating bilateral relations to a higher level.
Their discussions covered political communication, Belt and Road cooperation, trade, connectivity, agriculture, technology, green energy, education and health.
Importantly, the 2026 discussions also identified cooperation in new energy, the digital economy, information technology and artificial intelligence, alongside industrial and supply chains, finance and regional connectivity.
These emerging areas could become increasingly important to Bangladesh’s next phase of modernization, particularly in digital transformation, skills development and technology-based industries.
Earlier agreements and joint statements had also identified areas such as the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Chattogram, the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, maritime affairs, the blue economy, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
The China–Myanmar–Bangladesh Economic Corridor, regional connectivity and cooperation in ports and water management could further connect Bangladesh with China’s southwest and wider regional markets.
Looking ahead
I personally hope President Xi Jinping will visit Bangladesh again. I would also welcome the possibility of a future visit involving senior Chinese leaders from the CPC and PLA, which could add significance to discussions on regional peace, security, development and practical cooperation.
Such a visit could provide an opportunity to discuss the next generation of Bangladesh–China cooperation—not only existing projects, but also new areas of practical partnership.
These could include appropriate defence-technology cooperation, solutions to the Rohingya issue, further development of the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone, regional connectivity, Teesta and other water-resource management, maritime and blue-economy cooperation, AI and digital transformation, new energy and green development, technology and skills development, medical cooperation, and greater opportunities for Bangladeshi products and skilled human resources in the Chinese market.
Ideas being discussed in Bangladesh—including a larger China–Bangladesh complex outside Dhaka, stronger Chinese-language and vocational training, and improved connectivity with China’s southwest—remain aspirations rather than confirmed projects.
Their eventual value will depend on feasibility, mutual agreement and Bangladesh’s national priorities.
From witnessing China’s rise to building a shared future
My journey with China began in Beijing in 1988. Since then, I have witnessed China’s extraordinary transformation and the evolution of Bangladesh–China relations through different stages.
For me, Xi Jinping’s story is therefore not simply the story of a Chinese leader. It is part of a larger story of China’s transformation, Bangladesh’s development aspirations and the gradual expansion of cooperation between two countries that established diplomatic relations in 1975.
A particularly touching symbol of this people-to-people friendship is the story of Alifa Chin, the Bangladeshi girl whose mother received emergency medical assistance from Chinese military doctors aboard the hospital ship Peace Ark in 2010.
Her father named her “Chin”, meaning China in Bengali. In 2023, she wrote to President Xi, who replied encouraging her to study hard, pursue her dream and carry forward China–Bangladesh friendship. Chin and her family later visited China.
That story shows how the relationship between two countries can reach beyond governments and agreements and touch individual lives.
As China enters another National Day and Bangladesh looks towards the future, the challenge is not simply to repeat past achievements but to identify new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation while respecting each other’s national interests and development choices.
I hope this humble reflection, written from the perspective of a Bangladeshi who has followed China and China–Bangladesh relations since 1988, will reach President Xi Jinping in the same spirit of friendship. Perhaps it may also add a small voice to the hope that he will one day plan another visit to Bangladesh.
That, in my view, is the real meaning of moving from witnessing China’s rise to building a shared future.
(The Author is a Chinese-language graduate of Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) who has been studying, speaking and promoting Chinese and closely following China–Bangladesh relations since 1988. He is an Adjunct Professor at Bangladesh Maritime University. Email: shahadatb@gmail.com)
