Chinese and Bangladeshi flags in Beijing on Thursday Photo:IC

China and Bangladesh agreed  on a series of bilateral cooperation documents in fields including investment, water resources, culture and tourism on Wednesday in Beijing, witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and visiting Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Li voiced China's willingness to keep close high-level exchanges with Bangladesh, strengthen strategic mutual trust, boost mutually beneficial cooperation and enhance people-to-people friendship, so as to push for new development of bilateral relations, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

Li stressed that China stood ready to better synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Bangladesh's development strategy, and speed up mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

He also expressed expectation to discuss feasibility of joint study on the free trade agreement, increase import of Bangladeshi high-quality products meeting the needs of the Chinese market, promote balanced development of trade, and facilitate bilateral investment and personnel exchanges.

Hasina said Bangladesh-China ties are at a high level and Bangladesh would celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with China next year.

She said Bangladesh was advancing the goal of "Sonar Bangla" at present, reiterating that her country was willing to actively participate in the joint construction of the Belt and Road. 

"The cooperation between them in infrastructure, people's livelihood and tourism shows the all-round development of China-Bangladesh strategic partnership," Zhang Jian, an expert  at the Department for Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation Studies of China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.


Newspaper headline: China and Bangladesh agree to expand BRI