China's commerce minister to visit Bangladesh with largest-ever business delegation

Highlights:

• Chinese delegation to include 300-member business team
• Five sectoral match-making sessions to be held between Chinese and Bangladeshi businesses
• Chinese interest spans RMG, textiles, agro, ICT, electronics and pharma sectors
• Chinese firms to explore collaboration in man-made fibre and green textile innovation
• Possibility of MoU to form joint working group for smoother bilateral trade

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected to arrive in Dhaka on 31 May for a three-day visit, leading a delegation of around 300 Chinese businesspeople and investors—marking the largest foreign business delegation to visit Bangladesh.

Officials from the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) confirmed the unprecedented scale of the delegation, which includes representatives from China's textile, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and agro sectors.

Industry insiders expect the visit to create opportunities for joint investment and trade collaboration across key sectors.

In preparation for the visit, the Chief Adviser's Office, Bida, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza), the Ministry of Commerce, and other relevant departments have already begun coordinating logistical and administrative arrangements.

Wang is scheduled to land in Dhaka around noon on 31 May. Later that afternoon, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Commerce Adviser SK Bashir Uddin.

On 1 June, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will inaugurate a business conference with the Chinese delegation as the chief guest.

Following the opening, Chinese and Bangladeshi business representatives will participate in five separate match-making sessions throughout the day, focused on expanding bilateral trade and investment.

According to Bida officials, sessions will cover sectors such as ready-made garments and textiles, agro-processing, ICT, electronics, and others.

The Chinese delegation includes representatives from the country's major sectoral associations, including textiles, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and agriculture.

Many of the visiting businesspeople had also participated in the investment conference held following the chief adviser's earlier visit to China. During that visit, they expressed strong interest in investing in Bangladesh, officials said.

"Beza and Bida will try to allocate land to Chinese investors in any economic zone of their choice, based on their demand. Even zones developed under public-private partnerships will be made available. Match-making meetings will help identify opportunities for joint investment," a relevant official said.

On the evening of 1 June, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed will host a dinner for the Chinese delegation.

The following day, on 2 June, the Chinese commerce minister will lead his country's delegation at the meeting of the Bangladesh–China Joint Commission on Economy and Trade.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed will head the Bangladeshi side. Wang has already written a formal letter to the finance adviser regarding the meeting.

Later on 2 June, 30 business representatives from 14 Chinese companies will attend a match-making session with Bangladeshi garment manufacturers.

According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Chinese companies are interested in exploring business collaboration in areas such as man-made fibre, green textile innovation, and home textiles.

"The Chinese companies will explore business collaboration with garment and textile manufacturers in the area of manmade fibre, textile green innovation and home textile, which will promote trade and investment that benefits people, create jobs, stimulate more business as well as transfer knowledge and skills," said a senior BGMEA official.

Manmade fibres, which are produced from various chemicals or regenerated from plant fibres, are not yet manufactured in Bangladesh despite growing global demand.

On the same day, a large portion of the Chinese delegation is also expected to visit Liz Fashion Garments in Gazipur. Wang Wentao is scheduled to leave Dhaka later that night.

While the signing of any official investment agreement during the visit is unlikely, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) may be signed to form a joint working group focused on maintaining smooth bilateral trade. China shared a draft of the proposed MoU with Bangladesh in March.

Despite the scale of Chinese interest, Bangladesh's exports to China remain modest.

In FY2022–23, Bangladesh exported goods worth $715 million to China, accounting for only 1.61% of its total exports.

In contrast, imports from China stood at nearly $28 billion, comprising about one-third of Bangladesh's total imports, largely consisting of industrial raw materials and machinery.

To attract further Chinese investment, Beza has finalised plans for a dedicated Chinese Economic Zone in Anwara, Chattogram, and has approved two additional zones in Chandpur and Bhola.

Interest from Chinese investors has grown in recent months, driven by high-level engagements and strong participation in recent investment summits, including a visit by Yunnan Province Governor Wang Yubo.