Chinese FM’s Visit: Dhaka, Beijing likely to sign multiple deals

Bangladesh and China are likely to sign multiple MoUs and agreements during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's two-day visit starting tomorrow morning.

Speaking to reporters at the foreign ministry yesterday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the list of deals was not finalised yet and it could be five-seven -- new and renewal. Among the deals is cooperation on disaster management.

He assured that the planned deals will be aligned with Bangladesh's cultural, social and economic policy.

Shahriar said the Bangladesh-China relationship is "deep and wide", and the two countries will discuss areas of future cooperation.

He added that the Chinese foreign minister is scheduled to arrive in the capital at 11:00am tomorrow. He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning.

Wang Yi will also have a bilateral meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen the same day to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, will host a dinner in his honour tomorrow evening, Shahriar said.

Momen is expected to return home tomorrow night after attending the Asean Regional Forum meeting on August 5-6 in Cambodia.

In response to a query, Shahriar said Bangladesh would seek a stronger role from the Chinese government in ensuring early repatriation of the Rohingyas.

Bangladesh is sheltering over 1.1 million Rohingyas and there is a tripartite mechanism -- Bangladesh, Myanmar and China -- to discuss and resolve the crisis.

Responding to a question from a reporter on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said taking a new loan from China would not be a part of their agenda during talks with the Chinese foreign minister.