Bida to host China-Bangladesh conference on investment

The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) is set to host the China-Bangladesh Conference on Investment and Trade on June 1 as part of efforts to attract foreign investment.

The day-long summit is being jointly organised by the governments of Bangladesh and China.

According to Bida sources, the event will feature around 250 Chinese investors and business delegates representing nearly 100 enterprises, including senior executives from six to seven Fortune 500 companies.

Bida officials described this as the largest-ever Chinese business delegation to visit Bangladesh, signalling a substantial upturn in bilateral commercial engagement.

In addition, representatives from four major Chinese chambers of commerce are slated to attend, underlining China's growing interest in Bangladesh as a strategic investment hub in South Asia.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will inaugurate the event as the chief guest, while Wang Wentao, China's commerce minister, will attend as the special guest.

Sources within Bida indicate that the summit is widely viewed as a follow-up to Yunus's recent official visit to China and the International Investment Summit held in Dhaka last April.

These diplomatic and economic engagements have laid the groundwork for deepened cooperation, with anticipated Chinese investment in sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing, technology, and export-oriented industries.

The agenda includes sector-specific sessions focusing on energy, ICT, e-commerce, and construction, with an emphasis on identifying concrete investment opportunities.

Bida is optimistic that the summit will not only catalyse new capital inflows from China but also promote long-term industrial partnerships between the two nations.

Bida has termed the upcoming conference a "milestone moment" in China-Bangladesh economic relations -- one that could significantly influence the region's future economic landscape.