Beijing wants to take the prime minister to China in June

Since the BNP government took office in Bangladesh, Dhaka-Beijing political communication has become more intimate. With the aim of taking existing relations between the two countries to ''new heights", Beijing is interested in having Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visit China in the last week of June. According to the proposal from China, the visit could be more than two days.

Several responsible government officials, on the condition of anonymity, have informed Prothom Alo about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ''planned'' visit to China.

Sources indicate that the schedule for the visit has not yet been finalised. However, according to initial discussions, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may meet with China's President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang the day after his arrival in Beijing.

Last week, journalists asked the Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Advisor Humaiun Kobir about the potential visit to China. Humaiun Kobir said that the Prime Minister will definitely visit China, emphasising their importance as a development partner. He stated that the Prime Minister will visit China at a convenient time.

During a discussion held on 8 May at a hotel in the capital, China's ambassador Yao Wen expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's potential visit to China would elevate relations between the two countries to new heights.

He assured that China would support Bangladesh in political stability and economic development. However, the ambassador did not comment on the visit's schedule.

Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Beijing have informed this reporter that a meeting was held on 6 May in Beijing between Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In that meeting, emphasis was placed on intensifying political communication to advance existing relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's potential visit to China was particularly highlighted in the discussions between the two foreign ministers.

According to diplomatic analysts, since the new government took office in Bangladesh following the elections in February, political and government-level communication with China has been increasing.

Last month, a delegation led by BNP Secretary-General and Minister of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir visited several provinces in China, including Beijing. Following that visit, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman went to China.

Multiple sources have indicated that while not everything is finalised yet, topics such as strengthening political relations, economic cooperation, and infrastructure development might be prominently discussed during the Prime Minister’s potential visit.

Sources indicate that Bangladesh might bring up topics like increasing trade and investment, particularly relocating Chinese industries, operationalising economic zones, the Teesta Master Plan, modernising the Mongla Port, and initiating direct flights between Guangzhou-Chattogram and Shanghai-Chattogram.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced four global initiatives focusing on strengthening his country’s position in development and security on the international stage. These global initiatives—the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), and Global Governance Initiative (GGI)—are considered crucial pillars of China's foreign policy.

These initiatives were introduced in the past four years, specifically after overcoming the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic since 2021. From the outset, China has been urging Bangladesh in various ways to join the first two initiatives.

The country has remained active on these matters even during the previous Awami League and caretaker government tenures.
Diplomatic sources indicate there are ongoing discussions about how Bangladesh could join these two initiatives during the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to China.

As a major partner in Bangladesh’s infrastructure development, China is now interested in connecting Dhaka within regional frameworks alongside bilateral cooperation.

From June to December 2025, China was most active regarding a trilateral initiative. Diplomatic pressure and various levels of discussions were conducted during that time to include Bangladesh. Beijing also discussed the matter with BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami alongside the caretaker government.

However, the interim government led by Professor Yunus did not directly consent to the proposal. Due to the lack of progress in the trilateral initiative, a sudden proposal for a four-country forum emerged in January this year. Although the proposal came from Pakistan, China was the driving force behind it.

Towards the end of January, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar proposed over the phone to Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain to form a regional forum including Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan along with Myanmar. If Bangladesh agreed, preparations were made to arrange the first meeting in Islamabad. However, as the election timeline was finalised in February, the caretaker government left the matter to the new government's discretion.

Officials in Dhaka report that over the past three months, China and Pakistan have been unofficially discussing these two regional cooperation initiatives. The matter has arisen in internal discussions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since the new government was instituted under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Particularly when Bangladesh is taking initiatives to activate SAARC, there is support for taking time before joining any new regional alliance.

Recently, a policymaker in the government told Prothom Alo that considering strategic aspects before joining any new alliance is crucial given the current global context.

Former Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque commented that the global system is changing rapidly due to shifting geopolitical realities. Particularly, because of wars in Europe and West Asia, the opportunity to consider bilateral and regional issues separately is diminishing.

Thus, when Bangladesh strengthens ties with one country, it should consider the equations of that country’s relations with others.

The proposed Beijing visit by the Prime Minister could provide important insights not only for bilateral relations but also for indicating the path forward for Bangladesh's regional diplomatic stance.