Boosting Dhaka-Beijing Ties: CIDCA Vice-Chairman to Visit Bangladesh on Sept 13

Bangladesh-China economic ties are set for a fresh boost as a senior official of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) is scheduled to visit Dhaka this month to strengthen bilateral cooperation and address bottlenecks hampering major development projects.

Hu Zhangliang, vice-chairman of CIDCA, is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 13. His visit is expected to help advance the Teesta Barrage project and other China-funded initiatives in the pipeline, according to officials at the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

The high-level visit is aimed at revitalising economic engagement between the two countries at a time when China’s development financing to Bangladesh has slowed.

Although China is Bangladesh’s second-largest bilateral development partner, fund disbursements have declined in recent years. According to Economic Relations Division (ERD) data, Dhaka received no fresh loan or aid commitments from Beijing in FY24 and FY25.

The situation has started to improve, with China committing $279.94 million in development assistance to Bangladesh in FY26.

A senior finance ministry official said Hu’s visit signals Beijing’s renewed interest in strengthening engagement with Dhaka and accelerating the implementation of agreed development projects.

A key part of the visit will be a tripartite review involving Chinese representatives, Bangladeshi government officials and project-implementing agencies. The meeting will focus on identifying and resolving bureaucratic and operational hurdles that have delayed China-funded infrastructure projects, a senior ERD official said.

Hu is also expected to conduct on-site inspections of several major ongoing projects to assess their progress.

The Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project is likely to be a major focus of discussions. Beijing has repeatedly expressed interest in financing and investing in the Teesta water-management project, which aims to reduce riverbank erosion and improve irrigation facilities in northern Bangladesh.

The two sides are currently working to finalise feasibility studies and resolve structural and technical issues related to the project.

Bangladesh is also expected to prioritise the development of Mongla Port, the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ), and several new proposals, including the construction of the second Padma and Jamuna bridges.

During his stay in Dhaka, Hu is scheduled to meet Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and the secretary of the ERD. The meetings are expected to focus on expanding sustainable financial cooperation, securing infrastructure financing and improving the mechanisms for smoother and faster disbursement of Chinese credit.

The visit comes after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to China from June 22 to 26, during which Bangladesh and China signed 17 bilateral instruments, including agreements, memorandums of understanding, a joint action plan and an agricultural trade protocol.

The instruments cover a wide range of areas, including development cooperation, investment, trade, port development, industrial zones, media, education, vocational training, green development and export promotion.

Among the agreements are those concerning the development and modernisation of Mongla Port, the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone and the China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone, as well as cooperation under the Global Development Initiative, investment, vocational education, Chinese-language education and media.

The media cooperation involves China Media Group (CMG), Xinhua News Agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Bangladesh Television and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Earlier, Bangladesh asked China to expedite development assistance for 27 priority projects initially agreed upon during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s landmark visit to Dhaka in October 2016.

The original understanding involved a $20 billion foreign-aid package to support major infrastructure, energy and communications projects.

However, Bangladesh’s development priorities have evolved significantly over the past decade. As a result, the priority project list has since been updated, with several new projects added for which Dhaka plans to seek financial support from Beijing.

A finance ministry official said the updated list of priority projects is expected to be discussed as Bangladesh seeks stronger Chinese backing for its evolving development needs.