PM Tarique set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing Friday

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, in a high-profile engagement expected to cap his four-day visit to China and further advance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Thursday said the meeting is scheduled to be held at 10:30am local time (8:30am Bangladesh time).

"On the final day of the visit, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the historic Great Hall of the People," he told a press briefing in Beijing.

Mahdi Amin said the Prime Minister is expected to raise various issues related to Bangladesh's interests during the meeting with the Chinese President.

"He is expected to bring positive results that will further strengthen the development journey of the people of Bangladesh," he said.

Other engagements on the Prime Minister's schedule for Friday include a meeting with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, at the Great Hall of the People and a visit to the National Museum of China.

Tarique Rahman and members of his delegation are scheduled to leave Beijing for Dhaka at 5:00pm local time, wrapping up the four-day China visit.

This is Tarique Rahman's first visit to China as Prime Minister. He previously visited the country as a member of the delegation accompanying then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia after she assumed office in 2001.

Earlier on Thursday, Tarique Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People, focusing on Bangladesh-China relations, trade, investment, infrastructure development and other issues of mutual interest.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering various areas of cooperation between the two countries.

A 24-member delegation is accompanying the Prime Minister on the tour, including his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, State Minister for Power and Energy Aninda Islam Amit, Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Education Adviser Mahdi Amin, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and other senior officials.

Tarique Rahman began his first official foreign tour since assuming office with a visit to Malaysia on June 21.

He later travelled to Dalian, China, to attend the World Economic Forum's conference, where he participated in a series of programmes over two days before arriving in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.