Bangladesh, China sign key investment deals; Handa to invest $220m in Keraniganj factory
Chinese state-owned company to develop the proposed China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone
Bangladesh has signed a series of agreements with Chinese partners aimed at boosting industrial development and attracting greater investment, while Chinese manufacturer Handa Industries announced plans to invest $220 million in a new factory at the Keraniganj Economic Zone.
The agreements were signed during the Invest Bangladesh Seminar in Beijing organised by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), in partnership with the Embassy of Bangladesh in China and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) today (25 June).
Among the key developments was the signing and exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone, which will advance the development of the industrial zone adjacent to Mongla Port in Bagerhat, said a Bida press release.
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An agreement relating to the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Anwara, Chattogram, was also formally signed and exchanged with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), paving the way for further progress in one of Bangladesh's flagship Chinese-backed industrial zones.
In addition, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) signed a cooperation MoU to strengthen collaboration on investment promotion, business matchmaking and investor facilitation for Chinese enterprises interested in investing in Bangladesh.
A major investment announcement came from Handa Industries Ltd, which received provisional land allotment in the Keraniganj Economic Zone. The company plans to establish a factory on the allotted land with an investment of $220 million.
The proposed factory is expected to create employment opportunities for around 13,000 people, according to officials.
This will be Handa Industries' second manufacturing facility in Bangladesh. The company established its first factory at the Mirsharai Economic Zone in Chattogram last year with an investment of $100 million, generating approximately 12,000 jobs.
Earlier, India was the developer of Mongla Port Economic Zone and nominated Hiranandani Group in March 2018.
Subsequently, Evita Constructions Pvt Ltd (ECPL), an associate company of the Hiranandani Group, was appointed as the developer, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) which expired on 2 March 2024.
On 28 October 2025, the chief adviser's office delisted the zone.
In June 2025, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Dhaka nominated the state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) as the developer for the establishment of the zone on a government-to-government (G2G) basis.
