Photo: Collected
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought China’s cooperation in resolving the problems created by the presence of a large number of Rohingya in Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister made the call when Liu Haixing, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), paid a courtesy call on him.
The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Bangladesh Secretariat today.
The Prime Minister’s deputy press secretary, Shahadat Swadhin, disclosed this.
During the meeting, Liu Haixing conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s greetings to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The Prime Minister also conveyed his greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the country’s Premier, Li Qiang.
Liu Haixing said a joint declaration on a new era of future bilateral relations between the two countries had come during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Beijing. In light of that declaration, the areas of mutual cooperation would be further expanded.
In his words, China’s support for Bangladesh’s development and progress will continue, and China’s commitment to Bangladesh has not changed. He expressed hope that relations between the two countries would become deeper and stronger in future. Liu Haixing also expressed confidence in the prospects for Bangladesh’s economic growth and development under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Tarique Rahman said the foundation of Bangladesh-China relations was laid during the time of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. For a long time, this relationship has held a special place in the hearts of the people of both countries.
The Prime Minister said it is now their responsibility to maintain the continuity of this historic relationship and carry it forward to future generations.
He expressed hope that this tradition of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would move further forward in the hands of the new generation.
Tarique Rahman said that after former President Ziaur Rahman’s visit to China, a canal-digging programme was launched in Bangladesh, which later became widely popular and made a major contribution to agricultural development. The current government has also taken an initiative to dig 20,000 kilometres of canals. This will benefit farmers and ordinary people, and it will also play an important role in protecting biodiversity and environmental balance.
The two sides also stressed increasing party-level contact and cooperation between the Communist Party of China and the BNP.
Liu Haixing said China is keen to make relations between the two parties broader and more multidimensional. He also invited a delegation led by the BNP secretary general to visit China.
The Bangladesh-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor was also discussed at the meeting. Liu Haixing also expressed China’s support for Bangladesh’s inclusion in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
At the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman highlighted the pressure on Bangladesh’s economy, society, demography and environment caused by the protracted presence of 1.3 million Rohingya. He sought China’s cooperation in resolving the crisis.
In reply, Liu Haixing said China is aware of the Rohingya crisis. He would convey the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s concerns on the issue to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
At the meeting, the Chinese side also stressed increasing contact between the political parties and peoples of the two countries, alongside continuing cooperation in Bangladesh’s development.
BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, acting secretary general Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP vice-chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam were present during the meeting.
Liu Haixing was accompanied by Dr Liu Yuyin, chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, Peng Xiubin, director general of the Bureau of South-East and South Asian Affairs of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, and other senior officials.
Background
According to a Prothom Alo report on 26 June, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, on a four-day official visit to China, met the Chinese President at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 26 June; the previous day, 13 memorandums of understanding were signed between the two countries, along with a separate memorandum of understanding between the BNP and the Communist Party of China.
According to a Daily Observer report on 29 August, nine years after the mass displacement that began on 25 August 2017, not a single Rohingya has returned to Myanmar. Although Myanmar’s junta has said it is ready to take back around 350,000 Rohingya, Bangladesh and the Rohingya have objected to this without proper guarantees.
Sources
Original report: BSS
Background sources: Prothom Alo, 26 June 2026; The Daily Observer, 29 August 2026
