Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held a courtesy meeting Thursday with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, as both sides emphasized stronger bilateral and party-level cooperation.

The meeting took place at the state guesthouse Diaoyutai in Beijing.

At the start of the meeting, Liu congratulated Rahman on assuming office as prime minister and recalled the longstanding relations between Bangladesh and China. He highlighted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s nine visits to China and noted that a photograph from her 2001 visit is preserved at the museum of the Communist Party of China.

Liu also referred to the memorandum of understanding signed between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, and the Communist Party of China, expressing interest in expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

According to officials, discussions focused on increasing engagement in media, think tanks, people-to-people exchanges, and future cooperation aimed at improving living standards.

The Chinese side reiterated support for Bangladesh’s sovereignty, security, and development and stressed advancing relations based on mutual respect and cooperation.

Prime Minister Rahman sought continued Chinese support for Bangladesh’s ongoing development projects and expressed hope for cooperation in constructing the Bangladesh–China Friendship Hospital.

He said the long-standing friendship and legacy of cooperation between the two countries should continue in the years ahead.

In response, Liu said he was optimistic that under Rahman’s leadership, the people of Bangladesh would achieve further improvements in quality of life.

Several senior ministers and advisers from Bangladesh attended the meeting, alongside Chinese officials including Vice Minister Sun Haiyan and China’s ambassador to Bangladesh.