PM returns home from China

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached home this afternoon 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 landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here at 1:40 pm. 

Earlier the flight departed from the Beijing Capital International Airport at 11.05am (Chinese local time) today. 

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 document 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 roject; 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 are - 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.

The prime minister earlier left Dhaka for China on a five-day bilateral official visit on July 1.