Photo: PMO / Collected
PM Tarique Rahman Returns Home After Highly Successful Maiden Overseas Visit to Malaysia and China
Diplomatic Desk | GenZ Frontier | June 26, 2026
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka from Beijing on Friday evening, successfully concluding his historic first overseas tour since assuming office. The high-profile, six-day twin-nation tour included official state visits to Malaysia and the People's Republic of China, marking a new chapter in Bangladesh's economic diplomacy and bilateral relations.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), a special China Southern Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and a high-level government delegation landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 7:45 PM.
Upon arrival, the Prime Minister was warmly received by BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, alongside members of the cabinet, senior bureaucrats, and top political leaders.
The Malaysia Leg: Direct Engagement and Investment Push
The Prime Minister initiated his official tour on June 21 with a two-day state visit to Malaysia, following a formal invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The brief but intense itinerary in Kuala Lumpur focused heavily on economic cooperation, migrant worker welfare, and foreign direct investment: * Bilateral Talks: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held comprehensive bilateral discussions with his counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, focusing on human resource alignment, safe migration pathways, and trade balancing. * Royal Audience: He met with the Malaysian King, Sultan Ibrahim, to reinforce institutional and cultural ties between the two nations. * Business Integration: The Prime Minister directly engaged with top executives from five of Malaysia's leading conglomerate corporations, aggressively pitching Bangladesh’s newly reformed economic zones as prime destinations for Southeast Asian manufacturing and digital infrastructure investment. * Community Interaction: He also spent time interacting with representatives of the vibrant Bangladeshi expatriate community in Malaysia, assuring them of robust consular reforms and protection mechanisms.
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Dalian and Beijing: High-Level Diplomacy and 17 MoUs in China
Transitioning directly from Kuala Lumpur to China on June 22, the Prime Minister's visit was split between geopolitical strategy, industrial integration, and governance-level cooperation.
Summer Davos in Dalian
Before arriving in the capital, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Meeting of the New Champions, widely known as Summer Davos, held in the coastal city of Dalian.
At the forum, the Prime Minister delivered a keynote speech during a high-level session on climate leadership, highlighting Bangladesh’s localized climate adaptation strategies and demanding transparent global climate financing. He also participated in the central plenary session and held sideline meetings with global policymakers, including WEF President and CEO Alois Zwinggi.
Grand Bilateral Milestone: 17 Agreements Signed
In Beijing, the diplomatic momentum culminated in the signing of 17 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at expanding cooperation across infrastructure, tech transfer, water resources management, and trade development.
- Government-to-Government: 13 core MoUs were signed during extensive bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, focusing on infrastructure development and major water management frameworks.
- Investment & Commerce: Three additional MoUs were inked between the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and prominent Chinese business organizations to streamline future joint ventures.
- Political Exchange: Highlighting a unique party-to-party dynamic, one MoU was signed between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) to foster institutional dialogue.
Meeting with President Xi Jinping
On Friday morning, the diplomatic climax of the tour occurred at the Great Hall of the People, where Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held extensive discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, cementing mutual commitments toward regional connectivity, trade equity, and the high-quality advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Following the state talks, the Prime Minister paid homage to Chinese revolutionary history by laying a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square and visiting the Museum of the Communist Party of China. He also held separate functional meetings with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying, and Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.
"A Resounding Success" for New Bangladesh
Throughout his stay in Beijing, the Prime Minister also addressed the heavily attended "Invest Bangladesh" conference, inviting major Chinese tech, energy, and logistics firms to leverage Bangladesh's geographic proximity and demographic dividend.
Summing up the tour, Prime Minister’s Office Spokesperson Mahdi Amin described the maiden overseas visit as a resounding success for the nation’s modified foreign policy blueprint. Amin noted that the extensive consensus reached with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and the corporate sector would significantly catalyze Bangladesh's transition toward sustainable industrial growth, modern connectivity infrastructure, and regional economic stability.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Which countries did Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visit during his maiden overseas tour? The Prime Minister completed a six-day twin-nation official tour covering Malaysia (June 21–22) and the People's Republic of China (June 22–26).
2. How many agreements or MoUs were signed during the China visit? A total of 17 MoUs were signed during the visit. This includes 13 government-to-government agreements, 3 business-oriented MoUs through BIDA, and 1 party-to-party institutional dialogue MoU between the BNP and the CPC.
3. What was the Prime Minister's role at the Summer Davos in Dalian? At the World Economic Forum's Summer Davos, the Prime Minister addressed a key session on climate leadership, advocating for global climate justice and sustainable development, and met with WEF leadership.
4. Who received the Prime Minister upon his return to Dhaka? He was received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, alongside cabinet members and senior party leaders.
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