PM Hasina to leave Beijing for Dhaka Wednesday night instead of Thursday morning

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave China’s capital Beijing for Dhaka Wednesday night after wrapping up her bilateral visit to the country at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart.

A special flight (BG1704) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the prime minister and her entourage members, will depart Beijing airport for home at 10:00 pm (local time) tomorrow and is scheduled to reach Dhaka at 1:00 am (Bangladesh time) on Thursday, foreign ministry sources said.

The prime minister was earlier scheduled to leave Beijing for Dhaka Thursday morning.

During her stay in Beijing, the Bangladesh prime minister will have meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside a delegation level bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang Wednesday.

Her visit to China from 8 to 10 July will end with holding a bilateral meeting with Xi Jingping tomorrow afternoon.

The visit is believed to elevate the relations between Bangladesh and China to “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” from “strategic partnership”.

Bangladesh and China are likely to sign 20 to 22 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) tomorrow.

“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 are likely to be signed,” Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Sunday at a curtain raiser press conference at the foreign ministry in Dhaka.

During the visit, Hasan said inauguration of a number of projects of the two countries will also be announced.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh in October, 2016 when the relationship between the two countries had reached a strategic partnership.

Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina last visited Beijing in July, 2019. She also visited China on multiple prior occasions.

The two countries would celebrate the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations next year.

This visit of the Bangladesh prime minister to China is going to take place within 15 days after her last visit to India from 21 to 22 June.

On 9 July, the second day of Sheikh Hasina’s visit to China, President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun paid a courtesy call on her at the Meeting Room of her Place of Residence.

Afterwards, the prime minister joined a summit on Trade, Business and Investment Opportunities between Bangladesh and China at the China World Summit Wing, Shangri-La Circle, Beijing, China.

In the afternoon, a meeting was held between the prime minister and the president of Consultative Party Wang Huning at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.

The prime minister later placed a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes at Tiananmen Square.

In the evening, she will attend a dinner hosted in her honour by the Ambassador of Bangladesh to China at Bangladesh House in Beijing.

On 10 July, a delegation level bilateral meeting led by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang will be held at the Great Hall of the People where numerous documents that include Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be signed in their presence.

She will later attend a welcome banquet (lunch) in honour of her hosted by the premier of the State Council of China at the same venue.

In the afternoon on 10 July, the Bangladesh prime minister will pay a call on Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.