China's ruling Communist Party has told Prime Minister Tareque Rahman that Beijing's backing for Bangladesh's development will carry on, according to bdnews24.com. Liu Haixing, who heads the international department of the Communist Party of China's central committee, delivered the message during a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in the secretariat on Wednesday morning. The two sides met at about 10:30am, the prime minister's deputy press secretary, Shahadat Shwadhin, told reporters.
According to bdnews24.com, the talks covered the proposed Bangladesh-China-Myanmar economic corridor, continued Chinese assistance for Bangladesh's economy, and ways to expand contact between the CPC and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Why it matters
The visit places party-to-party relations alongside the two governments' dealings, a channel Beijing has used to build influence across South Asia. For Dhaka, the meeting produced a public Chinese commitment on development support and a hearing on the Rohingya crisis, which bdnews24.com reports the prime minister raised directly.
Liu arrived in Dhaka late Tuesday for a three-day trip. bdnews24.com reports that his schedule as a CPC official is weighted toward engagement with political parties rather than only state business.
Greetings exchanged and Rohingya pressure raised
Shahadat said Liu passed on greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to the prime minister, and that Tareque Rahman sent his own good wishes to Xi and to Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The prime minister used the meeting to describe the strain that the long-standing presence of about 1.3 million Rohingya places on Bangladesh's economy, society, demography and environment, the deputy press secretary said. He sought Chinese help in resolving the crisis.
According to Shahadat, Liu replied that China is aware of the Rohingya situation and would inform Xi of the prime minister's concerns. bdnews24.com reports the exchange as part of the official briefing on the talks.
Development pledge and a shared history
Liu expressed confidence in Bangladesh's growth prospects under Tareque Rahman's leadership, the deputy press secretary said. He also referred to the joint declaration on a new era of bilateral relations issued during the prime minister's visit to Beijing, and said China hopes to widen cooperation in line with it.
China's support for Bangladesh's development and progress "will continue," Liu said, adding that Beijing's commitment to the country is unchanged and that ties would grow deeper and stronger, according to bdnews24.com.
The prime minister traced the foundation of the relationship to the era of former president Ziaur Rahman. He said the bond has long held a special place in the hearts of both peoples, and that it now falls to the present generation to sustain it and pass it on.
Tareque Rahman recalled that a canal-digging programme began in Bangladesh after Ziaur Rahman's visit to China and later became widely popular, contributing to agricultural development. His government has launched an effort to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals, which he said would benefit farmers and ordinary people while helping protect biodiversity and environmental balance.
Party ties, a delegation invitation and trade questions
The two sides discussed how to strengthen relations between the BNP and the CPC, with both stressing greater communication and cooperation at party level, Shahadat said. Liu said China is interested in making the relationship broader and more multi-dimensional. A BNP delegation led by the party's general secretary was invited to visit China.
The meeting also covered plans to build a Bangladesh-Myanmar-China corridor network. Liu conveyed China's support for Bangladesh's entry into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the deputy press secretary said.
Liu was accompanied by Liu Yuyin, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Dhaka, and Peng Xiubin, director-general of the CPC international department's bureau for Southeast and South Asia, along with other senior officials. On the Bangladeshi side, Tareque Rahman was joined by BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, vice chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obayed.
bdnews24.com also reported that the CPC minister paid respects at the graves of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia during the visit.
What to watch: whether the promised Chinese follow-up on the Rohingya issue produces anything concrete, and whether the invited BNP delegation's trip to China is scheduled.
