Prime Minister Tarique Rahman returned home from Beijing on Friday night, wrapping up his two-leg six-day maiden overseas trip to Malaysia and China.
A China Southern Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and the accompanying delegation landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 7:45pm, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani received him at the airport. Prime Minister's Press Secretary Saleh Shibly was also present.
Senior BNP leaders were also present at the airport to welcome their party chief.
Earlier, the flight departed from Beijing Daxing International Airport at 5:15pm local time (3:15pm Bangladesh time).
The Prime Minister began the first leg of his overseas tour with a two-day official visit to Malaysia on June 21-22 at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim before travelling to China on a four-day official visit.
During the Malaysia visit, Tarique Rahman held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, met King Sultan Ibrahim, exchanged views with members of the Bangladeshi community and held meetings with executives of five leading Malaysian companies to encourage investment in Bangladesh.
He travelled directly from Kuala Lumpur to China on June 22.
The Prime Minister returned home from Beijing concluding his four-day official visit to China after a series of high-level meetings, investment engagements and the signing of 17 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).
The tour culminated with a visit to the Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning at the Great Hall of the People.
The two leaders discussed trade, investment, infrastructure, connectivity and other issues of mutual interest.
Earlier in the day, Tarique Rahman paid tribute to the Chinese revolutionary heroes by laying a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square.
He also met Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister held bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, water resources and other sectors.
Following the talks, Bangladesh and China signed 13 MoUs covering a wide range of areas of cooperation. Three more MoUs were signed between the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Chinese business organisations, while another was signed between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Communist Party of China (CPC), bringing the total number of agreements signed during the visit to 17.
During his stay in Beijing, Tarique Rahman also met Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying and Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.
He addressed the "Invest Bangladesh" conference, where he invited Chinese companies to expand investment in Bangladesh. Senior executives of several leading Chinese companies also met him to discuss investment opportunities and development cooperation.
The Prime Minister arrived in Beijing on Wednesday by high-speed train from Dalian after attending the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions, widely known as Summer Davos.
During the forum, he addressed a session on climate leadership, took part in the plenary session and held a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders, including World Economic Forum President and CEO Alois Zwinggi.
The China tour followed his two-day official visit to Malaysia on June 21-22 at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Prime Minister’s Office Spokesperson Mahdi Amin described the China visit as highly successful, saying the meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other senior Chinese leaders, along with the signing of 17 MoUs and extensive engagement with Chinese businesses, will further strengthen Bangladesh-China cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, connectivity and development.