Prime Minister joins WEF Annual Meeting in China's Dalian

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday attended the plenary session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dalian, a major port city in China’s Liaoning Province, as an invited guest.

The session, titled “Innovating at Scale,” commenced at 9:00am local time at the Dalian International Conference Centre, according to Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon.

World Economic Forum President and CEO Alois Zwinggi delivered the opening remarks. The event was attended by several world leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Uchral, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, and Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah.

On the sidelines of the forum, Tarique Rahman exchanged views with a number of global leaders on bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest. The participating heads of government also joined a photo session during the event.

Rumon said the prime minister held informal discussions with several world leaders attending the conference. The forum also provided Chinese investors and leading business executives with a detailed overview of Bangladesh’s investment climate, policy incentives and future economic prospects.

The conference was chaired by WEF President and CEO Alois Zwinggi and marked Tarique Rahman’s first participation in the World Economic Forum since assuming office as prime minister.

Earlier on Tuesday, Alois Zwinggi paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at the Dalian International Conference Centre, where they discussed a range of issues of mutual interest.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s renewable energy agenda, Tarique Rahman said the government has introduced tax incentives for solar power generation and set a target to meet 20 percent of the country’s electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030.

In response, Zwinggi said the prime minister’s experience and initiatives in tackling climate change could make a valuable contribution globally. He noted that Bangladesh’s achievements in climate resilience and sustainable development are likely to attract greater interest from international investors and financing institutions.

He assured continued support from the World Economic Forum and said the issues raised by Bangladesh would receive serious consideration. Zwinggi also invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.