Tarique Rahman meets Xi Jinping as China state visit nears end

The prime minister pays tribute at Tiananmen Square before the high-level meeting

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has begun talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the final day of his state visit to China.

The meeting got under way at 10am local time on Friday at the presidential office inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tarique’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman said.

Earlier in the morning, at 9:15am local time, Tarique paid tribute at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square alongside members of his delegation.

The prime minister's remaining engagements include a meeting with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and a visit to the National Museum of China.

Tarique and his delegation are scheduled to leave Beijing for Dhaka at 5pm local time and are expected to arrive in the evening, Bangladesh time.

The three-day state visit began on Wednesday when Tarique arrived in Beijing after attending the World Economic Forum in the northeastern city of Dalian.

On Thursday, he held bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall, after which the two countries signed 13 memoranda of understanding covering investment, media cooperation and other areas.

Li hosted a luncheon in Tarique's honour at the venue.

Tarique arrived at the Great Hall by motorcade from the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where Li received him warmly ahead of the bilateral talks.

Earlier on Thursday, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) also signed a separate MoU to boost communication and cooperation between the two parties.

Tarique's China visit is part of a broader foreign tour that began on Jun 21 with a two-day state visit to Malaysia -- his first overseas trip since the BNP formed a government after winning the February election.