BIDA Chief Sees New Horizons in Bangladesh-China Ties

BEZA and BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun addresses a press conference in Dhaka, highlighting the outcomes of the Bangladesh-China Conference on Investment and Trade, which hosted the largest-ever Chinese business delegation to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is set to explore new avenues of economic cooperation with China, as the country welcomed its largest-ever Chinese business delegation, said Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of both the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA).

Speaking at a press conference following the daylong Bangladesh-China Conference on Investment and Trade held in Dhaka, Harun said, “This gathering marks a significant milestone in our growing partnership. Around 250 Chinese investors and business leaders from 143 companies, including some of China’s largest, participated in this landmark event.”

The conference was jointly organised by BIDA, BEZA, the Ministry of Commerce of China, and the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka. Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus attended the opening session as chief guest, while China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao also joined the proceedings.

During the technical sessions, discussions focused on Bangladesh’s investment environment, opportunities in economic zones, joint ventures in garment and textile, technology transfer in electronics and machinery, and investment potential in agriculture and food processing.

More than 550 representatives from both countries took part in the conference. Harun noted that Chinese businesses showed keen interest in diversifying investments in Bangladesh across a range of sectors.

Over 100 bilateral meetings were held during the B2B and B2G sessions, allowing entrepreneurs and officials to exchange views on potential joint projects.

A key highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BEZA and Power China International Group Limited to establish a Chinese Agrivoltaics Economic Zone in Matlab Uttar Upazila of Chandpur district.

“The visit and dialogue open up new horizons for deeper economic cooperation,” Harun said, expressing optimism about a stronger, more dynamic Bangladesh-China partnership in the coming years.