Bangladesh will host a trade and investment summit in Beijing during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming state visit to China.

PM Hasina will inaugurate the trade summit aimed at boosting Chinese investment and find ways to reduce trade imbalance that now favours China, sources familiar with the development said this week.

During the visit Dhaka is likely to seek a US$ 7 billion in loan to support trade sector, which will make easy opening of LC for import of goods from China, according to the sources, reports UNB. 

The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Security and Exchange Commission (BSEC), Bangladesh Investment Development Authorities (BIDA), Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), and Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing ate jointly organising the trade summit.

Professor Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, chairman, BSEC told UNB this week that the summit will bring businesspeople of the two countries under an umbrella to know each other and find scopes of investment in Bangladesh.

He said the PM will talk directly with the Chinese investors to encourage them to invest in Bangladesh.

Al Mamun Mridha, general secretary of BCCCI told UNB that Bangladesh has identified 20 potential sectors to attract Chinese investors. At the Beijing Trade and Investment Summit Bangladeshi businesses will be highlighted with specific business offers to Chinese investors.

He said Bangladeshi businesses will offer to Chinese investors that invest in Bangladesh and get the advantage of exporting their products to the Chinese market at 98 percent duty-free facilities.

Through this investment Bangladesh will be able to narrow the huge trade gap with China and the Chinese investors will get opportunities for low-cost production options here, Mamun pointed out.

He believed that some Chinese investors would shift their manufacturing industry to Bangladesh as the country (Bangladesh) is also a big market for Chinese products.

Mamun also said, “Bangladesh will also seek US$7.0 billion fund support in the trade sector that will help to boost trade with China. This may be in Chinese currency Yuan, so that Bangladeshi businesses can open LC in Yuan,” he added.

Though China and Bangladesh agreed to start trade with the Yuan, Bangladesh was unable to do so, due to the lack of available Yuan. Bangladesh faces a huge trade gap with China. As a result, there is a shortage of Chinese currency for trading.

Bangladesh mainly imports from China industrial raw materials, capital machinery, and electrical products, which factories can be set up in Bangladesh.

Currently, Bangladesh imports around US $24 billion (according to Chinese customs data) annually while Bangladesh exports less than $1.0 billion.

Bangladesh will offer China to invest in ceramic, leather, pharmaceuticals, electric cars, high-end garnets, and household appliances.

Bd pratidin English/Lutful Hoque