Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said it is “important” for his country to see China as a good friend and he expects ties between Dhaka and Beijing to enter a new phase as he wrapped up his four-day China visit on Saturday (March 29, 2025).
Over the years, we have had a pretty solid relationship. Mr. Yunus stated, “Our business is very strong and we benefit from our collaboration with China.”
Following Yunus’ historic four-day official visit to China, a post on X by Yunus’ official handle stated, “Hong Lei, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also the Chief Protocol Officer of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, sees off Yunus on Saturday at the Beijing Capital International Airport.”
On Friday, March 28, 2025, Mr. Yunus received an honorary doctorate from Beijing’s Peking University (PKU).
On Friday, March 28, 2025, the Chief Adviser met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and requested increased Chinese investment to boost Bangladesh’s faltering economy, which has been impacted by both political and economic crises.
By portraying Beijing as a counterbalance to New Delhi, Mr. Yunus stated, “It is very important that we see China as our good friend.”
In an interview with the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency, Yunus stated that he anticipates a new phase in bilateral relations.
Following his trip to China, Mr. Yunus is expected to attend the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand. India has not yet confirmed his request for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During his discussions with Mr. Xi, Mr. Yunus asked China to contribute more to the establishment of stability, prosperity, and peace for both countries.
Bangladesh invited Chinese enterprises to take part in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP), according to a joint statement released following the Xi-Yunus discussions.
The former Sheikh Hasina government wants India to undertake the Teesta river basin project in consideration of the sensitivities of New Delhi.
In his discussions with Xi, Mr. Yunus emphasized the large student protests in Bangladesh in July and August of last year, which resulted in the overthrow of the Hasina government. He also said that the students’ movement cleared the path for the creation of a New Bangladesh.
Hasina also made a high-profile trip to Beijing a few weeks prior to her removal last year, where she met with Mr. Xi.
China has hosted several delegations from Bangladesh since the Yunus government seized power, including Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh’s adviser for foreign affairs, and hardline Islamic groups including the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Observing the chaotic situation in Dhaka and the increasing pressure on 84-year-old Yunus to schedule elections, commentators say Beijing is cautious about making any significant pledges despite the rush of visits.
According to an opinion post in China’s state-run Global Times that highlighted Beijing’s viewpoint, “it is urgent to boost the economy and address employment issues, especially youth employment, for Bangladesh’s interim government.”
“Youth unemployment is a major problem in Bangladesh.” Despite having a wealth of human resources, the country’s youth unemployment rate is close to 40%, the report stated.
“Yunus himself knows that reinvigorating the economy requires harnessing global resources. With America’s strategic contraction, Bangladesh is uncertain about the extent of assistance the West can provide.
“China remains a viable option for enhancing cooperation in various fields, such as industry transfer and agriculture technology improvement”, it said.
After Mr. Yunus talks with Mr. Xi, the two countries signed nine agreements enhancing economic and technical cooperation between the two governments and cooperation in the areas of development, translation and publication of classical literary work, exchange and cooperation on cultural heritage.
Bangladesh and China have also agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as hydrological forecasting, flood prevention and disaster reduction, river dredging, integrated management of water resources, water resources development and related technology.
In the interview Mr. Yunus gave to Xinhua, he said that at present, there are nearly 1,000 Chinese enterprises operating in Bangladesh. “Bangladesh’s imports from China are increasing. The bulk of our industrial-use products come from China”.
Looking ahead, Mr. Yunus emphasized the economic complementarities between the two countries and their huge cooperation potential.
He also pitched for increasing cooperation in the health sector between Bangladesh and China to reduce high flows of Bangladesh patients to India for medical treatment.
Recently, the first group of Bangladeshi patients, doctors, and travel agencies went to Kunming in China’s Yunnan province for medical check-ups and treatment, exploring the potential for the medical tourism market.
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said China planned to operate flights from Chittagong to Kunming to enable Bangladesh people to travel to China to seek medicare instead of India.
China has dedicated four Kunming hospitals for the treatment of Bangladeshi patients, but the high cost of air ticket remains as a major impediment to travel to the Chinese city, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported.
Chinese authorities said they would open up more healthcare facilities in the country for the Bangladeshi people, the BSS said, adding, “In April, Bangladesh would also send a big team of journalists to Kunming to see for themselves the treatment facilities there”.
