Chinese vice premier reaches Dhaka

liu_yandongDHAKA, May 24 (NsNewsWire) — Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong arrived in Dhaka Sunday evening for a three-day official visit to discuss entire gamut of bilateral issues with the Bangladesh leadership.

The discussion is expected to advance high-profile visits between Dhaka and Beijing in the next few months.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei had earlier said Liu would visit Bangladesh and Indonesia from May 24-31.

Liu, one of the four vice premiers, is  making the visit at the  invitation of the Bangladesh government.

According to the diplomatic sources, the  vice premier is expected to meet Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali .

They said Dhaka is expected to seek Chinese assistance in infrastructure development and cooperation in various fields during the meetings.

Dhaka and Beijing would ink several agreements in different areas of cooperation during her visit, they said.

Liu may extend a formal invitation to Sheikh Hasina to attend an event to be arranged for selected Asian leaders on “One Belt, One Road” initiative to be held in China later half of this year.

Diplomatic sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang would exchange visits likely in September-October this year.

 Dhaka is expecting that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang will visit Bangladesh to grace the programmes on the occasion of the 40 years of establishing diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and China.