Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received a red-carpet welcome upon arriving in Beijing today by bullet train from Dalian, where he attended the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. Accompanied by his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, he arrived at Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station at 5:35pm local time.
Minister and Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Committee of the General Administration of Customs, Sun Meijun, received the prime minister at the station. Children presented bouquets to the premier and his spouse, while a static guard of honour and a ceremonial welcome were accorded. From Chaoyang, Tarique and his entourage were taken to the Diaoyutai State Guest House in a ceremonial motorcade.
Earlier in the day, Tarique departed Dalian North Railway Station at 1:58pm on a high-speed train. His delegation includes Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir, Expatriates Welfare Adviser Mahdi Amin, and Defence Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam.
In Dalian, the prime minister attended the plenary session of the WEF alongside leaders including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Uchral, Montenegro Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, and Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah.
Over 1,700 representatives from more than 90 countries participated.
On June 23, Tarique addressed a WEF session titled “Climate Leadership in a Shifting Global Landscape.” On the sidelines, Tarique met WEF President Alois Zwinggi. His visit to China follows a two-day official trip to Malaysia, where he held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Officials described Tarique’s first visit to China as historic, saying it marks the “Golden 50 Years” of Bangladesh-China relations and could help shape the future direction of bilateral ties.
The prime minister is scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang on June 25 and President Xi Jinping on June 26 before returning home that night.
