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Published : 20 Jun 2026, 04:30 PM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s scheduled visit to Beijing will include discussions on the Teesta project, defence cooperation and possible participation in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s four global initiatives, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam has said.
He also said Bangladesh and China are likely to sign between 15 and 17 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) during the visit.
At a briefing on the premier’s Malaysia and China tour, he said on Saturday that the discussions with President Xi and Premier Li Qiang would cover a broad range of issues, including water management and strategic cooperation.
The documents slated to be signed include 13 MoUs, two agreements, one action plan and one protocol, he said.
Siam said the prime minister will visit Malaysia on Jun 21-22 before travelling to China’s Dalian on Jun 22 to attend events linked to the World Economic Forum for two days.
From Jun 24-26, Tarique will be in Beijing, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the Chinese premier on Jun 25 and with President Xi on the final day of the visit.
Responding to questions on transboundary river issues, including upstream Chinese dam construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo–Brahmaputra, the foreign secretary said integrated water management would be a key area of discussion.
“There is an issue of integrated water management, and I believe that discussion will be extensive and broadened,” he said.
He added that Bangladesh would raise the Teesta issue during the talks, alongside broader river management concerns.
On the proposed financing of the Teesta masterplan, he said feasibility studies had been revisited but discussions were still at an early stage.
“We are not at that stage yet where detailed parameters like reservoir or dam size are being discussed,” he said.
On China’s four global initiatives -- the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) and Global Governance Initiative (GGI) -- the foreign secretary said Bangladesh was considering joining them.
He said Bangladesh appreciated all four initiatives and viewed them as “commendable”, but final decisions would be made after the visit.
On defence procurement, Siam said such matters are handled at the operational level rather than by top leadership.
“There is bilateral defence cooperation with China. Whether purchases will be made or not is not decided at the leadership level; those discussions happen at the operational level,” he said, adding that existing cooperation would be reviewed.
He also clarified that financial details of projects are not discussed at the leadership level, but are instead handled by ministers and secretaries.
