Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Friday paid tribute to China’s revolutionary heroes by laying a special red-and-green wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square during his four-day official visit to China.
The national anthems of Bangladesh and China were played and the bugle sounded the Last Post as the wreath was laid. The Prime Minister then observed a moment of silence in memory of the Chinese revolutionary heroes.
Arriving at Tiananmen Square at around 9:10am local time, Tarique Rahman was accorded a state salute by a smartly turned-out contingent of the Chinese Armed Forces.
His wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and other members of the delegation were present at the ceremony.
Later on Friday, the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. He will also hold talks with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
Tarique Rahman is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. On Thursday, Bangladesh and China signed 13 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering a range of areas of bilateral cooperation following official talks between the two prime ministers at the Great Hall of the People.
After the talks and the signing ceremony, Li Qiang hosted a banquet in honour of the Bangladesh Prime Minister and his delegation.
Also on Thursday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) signed an MoU at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
During his visit, Tarique Rahman also met Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying and addressed the “Invest Bangladesh” programme jointly organised by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
The Prime Minister, who is also Chairman of the BNP, held a party-to-party meeting with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China.
He also met senior executives from major Chinese industrial groups, as well as representatives of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, China Railway Construction Corporation, China Road and Bridge Corporation and other investors to discuss expanding trade, investment and development cooperation.
The Prime Minister arrived in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon after attending the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, in Dalian.
His China visit follows the first leg of his maiden official overseas tour, which began in Malaysia on 21 June. During his Malaysia visit, he met the Malaysian King, Prime Minister and other senior officials to discuss bilateral issues.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to depart Beijing for Dhaka at 5:00 pm local time on Friday, concluding his four-day visit to China.
