DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh and China have entered what both sides described as a “new era” in bilateral relations, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s four-day visit laying the groundwork for a long-term strategic partnership.

The visit marked an expansion of ties beyond traditional economic cooperation into regional diplomacy, connectivity, defence dialogue, and geopolitical coordination.

The June 22-26 trip was Tarique’s first foreign visit since assuming office in February. The trip included Malaysia as the first leg.

In China, three agreements, one framework agreement, one protocol, one joint action plan, nine memorandums of understanding (MoUs), and a 15-point joint communiqué outlining future cooperation between the two countries were signed.

The instruments included 13 at the ministry level, three involving business entities and one between the ruling BNP and the Communist Party of China (CPC).

According to a joint statement issued by the two nations, both sides agreed to elevate their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to jointly build a China-Bangladesh community with a shared future in the new era to bring about more benefits to the two countries and peoples.

The Jatiya Sangsad yesterday unanimously adopted a motion of thanks to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the success of his official visits to Malaysia and China.

Officials in Dhaka and Beijing described the visit as one of the most significant diplomatic engagements between the two countries in recent years.

In China, he met Chinese President

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