BEIJING, July 6, 2019 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left here
for home this morning wrapping up her five-day bilateral official visit to
China at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.
A VVIP fight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-1723) carrying the premier
and her entourage members departed from the Beijing Capital International
Airport at 11.05am (local time) and is expected to reach Dhaka this
afternoon.
The prime minister was given static guard of honour at the airport while
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui and Bangladesh Ambassador to China
M Fazlul Karim saw the premier off there.
During the tour in China, Sheikh Hasina held bilateral talks with Chinese
President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang, and joined the World
Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting of the New Champions in the city of
Dalian and attended a panel discussion titled ‘Cooperation in the Pacific
Rim’.
Following the meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Beijing assured
Bangladesh that it would try to persuade Myanmar to take back its Rohingya
nationals.
The Chinese premier agreed with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on
resolving the protracted crisis quickly, saying, “There is no doubt that it’s
a big problem for Bangladesh”.
Li Keqiang, however, stressed the need for solving the crisis bilaterally,
and assured that China will help end the crisis.
During the call on with Sheikh Hasina, the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Minister for International Affairs Song Tao also assured that their sole
governing party would contact with Myanmar State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi
and other leaders there to resolve the crisis.
Bangladesh and China also signed nine instruments in different sectors
including aid for the Rohingyas and economic and technical cooperation,
investment, power, culture and tourism after the two premiers’ talks on July
4.
Of the nine instruments – five are agreements, three memoranda of
understanding (MoUs) and a document – while ministers and officials concerned
of the two countries signed the documents in presence of the two leaders.
Under the first agreement titled “Letter of Exchange (LoC) on the Rohingya
Refugees Rice Aid”, China will provide 2,500 tonnes of rice to the forcibly
displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar.
Other instruments are: Framework Agreement of Expansion and Strengthening
of Power System Network under DPDC Area; Framework Agreement of Power Grid
Network Strengthening Project under PGCB Project; Agreement on Economic and
Technical Cooperation between Bangladesh and China; Government Concessional
Loan Agreement of Expansion and Strengthening of Power System Network under
DPDC Area Project and Preferential Buyer’s Credit Loan Agreement of Expansion
and Strengthening of Power System Network under DPDC Area Project.
The three MoUs were on the Establishment of Investment Cooperation Working
Group and its Implementation Plan on hydrological information sharing of Yalu
Zhangbo/Brahmaputra River and Cultural Exchange and Tourism Program
Sheikh Hasina met the WEF founder and executive chairman on the sidelines
of the inaugural ceremony of WEF annual meeting and had a roundtable with the
CEOs of different Chinese companies.
She also attended a reception accorded to her by the expatriate
Bangladeshis in China and paid rich tributes to the heroes of Chinese
revolution by placing a wreath at the Heroes Memorial in Tian’anmen Square
here.
The prime minister earlier left Dhaka for China on a five-day bilateral
official visit on July 1.