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Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday night on a three-day visit to Bangladesh.
He landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 11pm on an Emirates Airlines flight.
During his visit, Liu is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
He is also expected to hold meetings with senior leaders of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and take part in political discussions.
The visit is considered significant for strengthening political relations between Dhaka and Beijing.
Diplomatic sources said the trip was scheduled in advance and is part of continued high-level engagement between China and Bangladesh following the formation of the country’s new government.
Strengthening political ties between the ruling BNP and the Communist Party of China is also expected to feature prominently during the visit. Accordingly, the programme includes several party-level engagements alongside meetings with state leaders.
The Chinese delegation includes several senior officials, including the Director General of the Bureau of South and Southeast Asian Affairs of the CPC’s International Department.
BNP Standing Committee member and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration Ismail Zabiullah, BNP Vice-Chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Joint Secretaries General Khairul Kabir Khokon, Syed Emran Saleh Prince and Advocate Abdus Salam Azad, among other senior party leaders, welcomed Liu at the airport.
Prime Minister’s Protocol Officer Kamrul Islam was also present.
On Wednesday morning, Liu is scheduled to begin his day’s programme by paying tribute at the graves of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
At 10am, he is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat.
Chinese Chargé d’Affaires in Bangladesh Dr Liu Yuyin and Peng Xiubin, Director General of the CPC International Department’s Bureau of South and Southeast Asian Affairs, along with other senior delegation members, are expected to accompany him during the meeting.