Mohammad Ismail Zabiullah, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration and a member of the BNP’s National Standing Committee, has stressed the need to strengthen communication, trust and cooperation to deepen Bangladesh’s existing friendly and strategic relations with China and make them more beneficial to the people.

He said the latest visit to China by a delegation from the Prime Minister’s Office would further strengthen ties between the two countries and create new opportunities for future cooperation.

He made the remarks at a pre-departure reception organised by the Chinese Embassy on Thursday for the delegation from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The public administration adviser said this would be the second visit to China by a delegation from the Prime Minister’s Office. He stressed that the visit should not be limited to formal meetings. Instead, the delegation should seek to understand China’s development experience through exchanges with Chinese government officials, entrepreneurs, academics and ordinary citizens.

“You are representatives of 180 million people. You cannot understand China merely through formal meetings. You need to become familiar with its culture, institutions and people. It is important to understand how China has achieved such a large-scale economic and social transformation,” he said.

He added that Bangladesh had much to learn from China in areas such as long-term planning, infrastructure development, industrialisation, technology adoption, innovation and effective implementation of development plans. With China accounting for approximately one-third of global manufacturing output, its development experience could offer important lessons for Bangladesh, he said.

Ismail Zabiullah said friendly relations between Bangladesh and China began during the tenure of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. Over the years, the relationship had expanded and deepened, eventually developing into a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

He noted that Bangladesh was also going through a critical phase of economic and administrative transformation. The country could benefit from China’s experience in diversifying its economy, increasing productivity, developing technology-driven industries and creating employment opportunities for young people.

Emphasising the need to facilitate people-to-people exchanges, he highlighted the importance of introducing an e-visa system for Bangladeshi citizens travelling to China, providing arbitration support for entrepreneurs from both countries, and expanding cooperation in trade, investment, technology and human resource development.

He said Bangladesh, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, was keen to further advance its existing relationship with China. He expressed hope that friendship and cooperation between the two countries would deliver greater benefits to their people in the future.

The Chinese ambassador, senior embassy officials, members of the delegation from the Prime Minister’s Office and relevant officials attended the reception.