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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, on Thursday held a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People, during which several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two countries.
Earlier, Tarique Rahman was accorded a warm reception after arriving at the Great Hall in a ceremonial motorcade from the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
A red carpet was rolled out as the Chinese premier welcomed him at the Great Hall of the People. The two leaders inspected a Guard of Honour presented by a contingent of the Chinese Armed Forces, while the national anthems of the two countries were played. A gun salute was also presented in honour of the Bangladesh prime minister.
The two leaders later introduced members of their respective delegations, according to BSS.
Tarique Rahman is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People at 10:30 am local time (8:30 am Bangladesh time) tomorrow (Friday), PMO spokesman Mahdi Amin told a press conference.
During the meetings with the Chinese leadership, the prime minister will discuss a range of issues concerning Bangladesh's national interests, Amin said.
Earlier in the day, Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying called on the Bangladesh prime minister at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
According to Amin, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in areas including the Teesta Master Plan, river management, flood-risk mitigation, dredging, erosion control, irrigation and inland navigation.
The Chinese minister also expressed interest in supporting Bangladesh through research, training and institutional capacity-building initiatives in the water resources sector.
Tarique Rahman also addressed an "Invest Bangladesh" event jointly organised by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
More than 80 senior executives and owners of leading Chinese companies attended the event. The prime minister highlighted the government's efforts to attract foreign investment and create employment opportunities, while Chinese business leaders shared their investment plans and proposals.
Inviting Chinese investors to invest in Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman said ongoing economic and administrative reforms were making the country a competitive, reliable and profitable destination for manufacturing and industrial investment.
He said the government had launched a special 180-day action plan to improve the investment climate. The measures include the development of economic zones in Anwara and Mongla, the establishment of Bangladesh's first investment office in China and special incentives for priority sectors. He also announced that new investment licences would be issued within 15 days.
Amin said Tarique Rahman, also chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), held a party-to-party meeting with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
During the meeting, the prime minister called for closer Bangladesh-China cooperation aimed at promoting long-term economic growth and mutual prosperity.
The Chinese side reaffirmed its support for Bangladesh's sovereignty, security and development, while expressing interest in strengthening political, economic and people-to-people exchanges, Amin said.
Both sides also agreed to further expand cooperation in development, investment, public engagement and party-to-party relations.
An MoU was signed between the BNP and the Communist Party of China.
The prime minister arrived in Beijing on Wednesday after attending the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, in Dalian.
His visit to China is the second leg of his maiden official overseas tour, following a visit to Malaysia earlier this week.