Hasina wraps up China visit with meeting with Xi Jinping

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has concluded her visit to China with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday afternoon, according to state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha or BSS.

Earlier, she had a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the morning.

Hasina departed Beijing for Dhaka later in the night. A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime mMinister and her entourage left Beijing Capital International Airport at 10:05pm.

The flight is scheduled to land at Shahjalal International Airport at 1am on Thursday.

Hasina was earlier scheduled to leave Beijing for Dhaka on Thursday morning.

However, she left Beijing a few hours earlier to attend to her ailing daughter, Saima Wazed Hossain, said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud at a press briefing in Beijing.

The minister said the prime minister had completed all her scheduled bilateral programmes, which included talks with Xi and Li Qiang, along with other engagements, before departing from Beijing.

Delegations from both countries signed 21 instruments, including several Memorandums of Understanding, or MoUs

The MoUs 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 have been signed, said the BSS.

In her meetings with Xi and Li, the entire gamut of the bilateral relations alongside the regional and international matters came for discussions.

The issues like Rohingya, cooperation on business, trade, commerce and development dominated the discussions.

Hasina had arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon on a three-day bilateral visit at the invitation

of the Chinese counterpart, two weeks after her visit to neighbouring India.

This marks her fourth visit to China, following previous visits in 2010, 2014, and 2019.

The primary goals of this visit were to strengthen cooperation in investment, trade, and financial support.

Hasina was given a red carpet reception at Beijing International Airport.

She had a courtesy meeting with Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank or, AIIB, on Tuesday morning.

Later, she attended a trade, business, and investment conference at the Shangri-La Circle, where she urged Chinese businessmen to increase their investments in Bangladesh.

A bilateral meeting took place between Hasina and Wang Huning, chairman of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, or CPPCC.

She paid tribute to the revolutionary heroes of China at Tiananmen Square on Tuesday afternoon.

Later, she attended a dinner hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing.