Bangladesh PM gets invited by China for official visit to Beijing

China is eager to work with the new Dhaka government to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas, thus Beijing has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh for an official visit. Following his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Sunday, Foreign Minister Hassan Mahmud told reporters, “We (Dhaka) will find a suitable time for the visit.” Wen first met Mahmud on January 7, following the major opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycott of the polls that resulted in the Hasina-led Awami League being re-elected to power for a fourth consecutive term. Mahmud stated that talks were in progress to schedule it for the premier’s travel of Beijing at a time that would work for both parties. From July 1–6, 2019, Prime Minister Hasina made an official visit to China. She also took part in the Dalian 13th Summer Davos Forum. Hasina paid a visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping when she was there. Chinese President Xi thanked Hasina shortly after the polls on January 7 and expressed confidence in strengthening bilateral relations. Officials at Bangladesh’s foreign ministry told the media that Hasina was scheduled to visit China in September of last year but was unable to do so due to other commitments and the election. China extended the invitation soon after Obaidul Quader, the minister of road transport for the ruling party, claimed that India had supported Bangladesh during the BNP’s attempt to rig the elections. India and China both referred to the election in Bangladesh as a “internal matter,” while Western nations—including the US—called for reliable polling. (With agency inputs)